At first glance, the conceptual publication “Dunkle Paarung” by Wie-yi T. Lauw is deceptive. There is an absence of
images. Only through an active intervention by the reader (tearing the
perforated pages open), the hidden content of the book uncovers as
flowers that bloom; only to reveal their beauty. This act indicates
the violence and striving for domination of colonial powers, which
Wie-yi T. Lauw pursues in her work. In her scanned floral compositions,
she deals with the collection of exotic plants as an instrument of
colonization processes, which can itself be interpreted as cultural
appropriation.
