Wandering the Welsh countryside with a group of young people who have recently arrived to England, we encountered "invasive plants.” To my eyes, these plants appear as a beautiful addition to the Welsh landscape, yet they are termed ‘invasive’. I became curious about the circumstances surrounding their arrival and the potential to draw parallels between them, the experiences of "refugees" and the historical exploitation of black and brown individuals who were taken from their native lands and subjected to derogatory labels akin to "invasive."
In these self-portraits I embody the essence of such"invasive plants.” which have become an integral part of England's natural landscape. They resonate with the human story of migration and my personal narrative of arriving as an asylum seeker and later gaining British citizenship.
izïhi delves into the intertwined stories of invasive plants and human displacement. The ongoing project seeks too spark discussions about the profound connections between the botanical world and human stories of migration, adaptation, and resilience.
