A Clin d’Oeil to Berlin

 Robertina Šebjanič, resident artist at Arte+Ciencia at UNAM Mexico city_Mexico development of the project Lygophilia at  Cantera Oriente - REPSA UNAM september 2017, photo by personal archive of artist.

By LARA PAN January, 2025

This fall, Berlin has been a hive of activity, offering a wealth of experiences for art and science enthusiasts. Among the standout events was Berlin Science Week, which took place during the first week of November.

Established in 2016, Berlin Science Week has grown into a prominent festival blending art and science. It captivates visitors with its extraordinary projects and fosters a dynamic learning experience. Each year, it transforms Berlin into a global hub, drawing some of the brightest minds from the realms of science, research, politics, business, and academia.

One of the hidden treasures unveiled during this period was Lygophilia: Aquatic Life — A Symbol of Extinction, Scientific Wonder, and Cultural Heritage, an ambitious project by the renowned Slovenian artist Robertina Šebjanič.

I was fortunate to witness Lygophilia in Berlin and even had the opportunity to interview Robertina herself. This remarkable project bridges the past and future, serving as a poignant reminder of what humanity can learn from our history and the natural world. Curator Claudia Bentz has masterfully paired the installation with select art wonders from the museum’s collection, creating an exquisite cabinet of curiosity.

With only a few days left to experience this extraordinary work, I highly recommend it to all art lovers, whether Berlin-based or visiting. This exhibition is a rare artistic and scientific treat—a true testament to the power of interdisciplinary collaboration.

The following is an interview with Robertina for Whitehot Magazine...

Lygophilia photo by  Heidi Jalkh at KUNSTGEWERBEMUSEUM

1. "Robertina, how and when was Lygophilia born? The research you undertook is profound and consequential, as it connects invisible life forms and the concept of evolution across two continents—Latin America and Europe. Could you share more about the origins of this project and its development?"

Lygophilia is a collection of research-driven artworks that began during my field trips to Mexico in 2017 and extended into my field trip experiences in Slovenia. The project weaves narratives around two extraordinary creatures, both possessing a remarkable ability known as juvenilization or neoteny. The Mexican axolotl thrives in the shallow, muddy waters of Xochimilco Lake, while its Slovenian counterpart, the proteus (also known as the "human fish"), resides in the underground caves of the Dinaric Karst. These caves span Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, and occasionally Bosnia.

The intention of the multilayered / intricate storytelling in Lygophilia is to open a dialogue about the potential futures of human and more-than-human ecological relationships, emphasizing the significance of care in fostering empathetic connections. Through these artworks, I invite viewers to explore ecological interconnections, presenting a collage of elements that bridge gaps between disciplines and highlight the interconnectedness of life. This mutual care extends beyond human-centric concerns, raising the central question of the project: Who should be the focus of care? The fragility of life plays a pivotal role in shaping the future—whether individual, collective, or planetary.

Axolotls and proteus are fascinating aquatic species that share a preference for darkness and serve as striking examples of parallel evolution and endemism. The axolotl is endemic to Xochimilco Lake near Mexico City, while the proteus is exclusively found in European underground caves within the Dinaric Karst. 

Lygophilia photo by  Heidi Jalkh at KUNSTGEWERBEMUSEUM

2. I was fortunate to see this project in Berlin at the Kunstgewerbemuseum, where you collaborated with curator Claudia Bantz. The installation was exquisite, especially in how it intertwined with the museum's collection, incorporating the concept of a cabinet of curiosities. Could you tell me more about this collaboration and its development?

At the Kunstgewerbemuseum, the  Lygophilia installation smoothly integrates with the museum collection and it's the first time for me and the work that this has happened, so you can imagine how thrilled I was when Dr. Claudi Banz  proposed this “research alliance” that was done in collaboration with SKICA Berlin and its head Saša Šavel-Burkart.

Working closely with curator Claudia Banz, we carefully selected exhibits spanning diverse materials, eras, and origins, re-contextualizing them within the intervention Wunderkammer #3. This process created new object narratives that deepened the installation’s themes and connections.

Working on this project was a realization of a dream I had since I first began developing Lygophilia. The project carries so many layers and stories, and I had always hoped to explore its themes in a context like this—where the perspective of understanding a museum and its collection could add even greater depth. It was fascinating to see how the museum’s history and artifacts could be redefined and intertwined with the project, opening up associative concepts and empathetic reflections that go beyond the act of collecting.

I was absolutely thrilled when Claudia Banz and her colleagues at Kunstgewerbemuseum opened the drawers to explore the museum’s storage, uncovering hidden treasures that could be woven into the exhibition. This process allowed me to engage with objects that had been out of sight and give them a new narrative within the installation as well bring them again out to be presented to the public.

The intervention Wunderkammer  emerges as an extension of my multimedia installation Neotenous dark dweller _ Lygophilia.

Within the Wunderkammer the exploration delves into the realms of amphibians, reptiles, and fantastical hybrid beings, intertwining their symbolic, aesthetic, and conceptual dimensions.

These entities evoke humanity’s enduring fascination with duality—creatures that exist at the boundaries of transformation and the unknown. They invite us to reflect on our ecological responsibilities and cultivate empathetic connections that transcend beyond traditional narratives of collection and classification and go beyond that to the more-than-human storytelling. 

Lygophilia photo by  Heidi Jalkh at KUNSTGEWERBEMUSEUM

3. The last day to see the exhibition is January 5th, and I’d say it was a standout highlight of Berlin Science Week. Lygophilia has been on view for nearly five months. How do you see this project addressing questions of longevity—if not eternal life—especially as these questions become increasingly relevant with technological progress? What is the next chapter in the life of Lygophilia?

At the Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin, as part of the Berlin Science Week program, I had the privilege of participating in a round table discussion with the exceptional curator Claudia Banz, artist Marco Barotti, and zoologist John A. Nyakatura, Professor of Comparative Zoology at HU Berlin. This dialogue enriched the layers of Lygophilia by engaging with questions of longevity and regenerative potential. It also delved into the multilayered narratives of the work, exploring themes such as more-than-human care, the colonial background of natural science, and rethinking the context of museum collections- that is also the reason why there is a Wunderkammer.

The Lygophilia series intricately intertwines the mythologies of the axolotl and the proteus, their cultural significance as emblems of the regions where they live, as well as their roles in scientific exploration. Scientists have long been captivated by the axolotl’s extraordinary regenerative abilities, using it as a model organism to study wound healing and tissue regeneration in humans. Through this project, I aim to weave together the creatures’ histories, scientific significance, and cultural narratives, creating a dialogue that transcends time and geography while bridging the realms of humans and non-humans.

Axolotls and proteus are distinguished by their longevity and neoteny, maintaining an eternal youthfulness even into adulthood. These unique traits have made them central figures in ancient myths, cultural heritage, and national symbolism—Mexico for the axolotl and Slovenia for the proteus. Yet, paradoxically, while they thrive as research subjects in laboratories, both species are critically endangered in their natural habitats.

As technological progress accelerates, the themes explored in Lygophilia—longevity, regenerative potential, and the intersection of culture and science—become even more pertinent. Looking ahead, I see the next chapter of Lygophilia expanding into deeper explorations of empathy, care, and ecological interconnectedness. This involves redefining our relationship with more-than-human species and exploring the ethical dimensions of scientific inquiry and cultural heritage in the Anthropocene in the time of the Aquatocene. WM