Roses and Tokoloshe Traps in Namibia

This blog is usually focused on featuring land art and site specific work by South African artists. Even though she's not a South African artist, I think it is well worth featuring environmental artist Imke Rust.  
In her recent environmental land art she draws the attention to the threats posed to the Namib Desert through ever-growing mining and industrial activities. ‘Subrosa’, an installation of 99 roses made from black rubbish bags and barbed wire, which were temporarily planted in the desert, shows her concern about the secrecy and corruption surrounding the exploitation of natural resources. With the work ‘Tokoloshe Trap’ the artist tries to protect the land by symbolically trapping all real or imagined environmental dangers. These ‘traps’ consists of thousands of white thorn pairs, arranged in 39 circles in a dried-out riverbed.


 Subrosa 2012
Temporary Installation of 99 black roses in the Namib Desert

22° 43’ 01” S – 14° 33’ 47” E,  April 2012

Original Dimensions: 90 x 270 x270cm
Black rubbish bags, barbed wire, wire





Tokoloshe Trap 2012

Temporary installation of 1521 white thorn pairs from the Acacia Karroo tree arranged into 39 circles in a side tributary of the Swakop river bed,
Namib Desert.

22° 38’ 10” S – 14° 43’ 40” E, April 2012

Original dimensions: 5 x 600 x 250 cm
Medium: Acacia thorns


View her website for more information about her work,
which includes land art, interactive projects, and works on paper.

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