Uriel Orlow’s work often engages with specific locations and events using archives and research-led processes to excavate micro-histories. Orlow explores the spatial and pictorial conditions of history and memory, working across video, photography, drawing and sound.
Muthi (2016-18) is part of a long-term project entitled Theatrum Botanicum (2015-2018) which explores botany and nature as a site of political meaning and tension. Orlow views plants as actors as well as witnesses to history. The project looks at Europe and South Africa considering the role of plants in the history of medicine, spirituality, economic exploitation and colonialism.
‘Muthi’ means tree in Zulu and is the term for traditional medicine in Southern Africa. Before the establishment of Western medicine in the area, Muthi was the dominant form of healing. Under British colonial rule it was deemed ineffective and unscientific however, it was also perceived as a threat to the dominance of European culture. Since then, pharmaceutical companies have come to understand the commercial potential of medicinal plants to the detriment of traditional practitioners. The film follows the endurance of traditional medicine in rural and urban environments including Johannesburg, the Western Cape and Kwazulu-Natal. It explores how Muthi is a healing and spiritual practice however, it is also embedded in an economic system. The film explores the role of traditional healing in modern life and the continuation of indigenous knowledge and alternative medicine in the face of erasure.
Since Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum’s move to the Royal Pump rooms in 1999, the collection has focused on Medical History. The building was historically used for medical treatments particularly hydrotherapy and physiotherapy. The collection reflects the history of the building as a space for healing and the acquisition of Uriel Orlow’s work builds upon this legacy of acquiring contemporary works that explore medicine and healing.
