Abbas Akhavan: Entre chien et loup (Bilingual)

Edited by Kim Nguyen with contributions by Federico Campagna; Stefano Riccioni; Marina Roy; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Asli Seven; and Lucy T. Smith

Abbas Akhavan’s practice ranges from site-specific ephemeral installations to drawing, video, sculpture and performance. The direction of his research is deeply influenced by his engagement with the places in which he works – their histories and architectures, as well as the economies and inhabitants that shape them. For Entre chien et loup, his installation at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, he reimagines the Canada Pavilion as a monumental Wardian case, a 19th-century innovation for transporting plants across the British Empire. Hosting giant water lilies of the genus Victoria in a custom pool, the pavilion also evokes the Crystal Palace, constructed for the 1851 Great Exhibition in London, where the plant was prominently displayed. Although native to South America, the water lilies were a natural wonder of the Victorian era. Named in homage to Queen Victoria, they are considered her emblem.

Entre chien et loup explores ecological fragility, imperial legacies and the threshold between wild and domesticated worlds. Its title, literally “between dog and wolf” in English, evokes the indeterminate nature of twilight, when distinctions blur and a dog might be mistaken for a wolf. Expanding on this metaphor, the project offers a lens onto the liminal – between day and night, nature and culture – where histories resurface and new possibilities for coexistence emerge. Richly illustrated, this volume delves into the ideas and research behind Akhavan’s installation. Texts by contributors from a range of backgrounds – curatorial, historical, scientific and philosophical – situate the work within broader interdisciplinary conversations.

English and French
Softcover | 224 pages | 2026
21.3 × 30 cm (8.4 × 11.8 in.)
87 colour, 13 b&w illustrations