Marjetica Potrč (b. 1953) is a Slovenian artist and architect whose practice interweaves anthropology, ecology, natural sciences and architecture in the mediums of drawing, architectural case studies and public collaborations.
Her work is centred on universal, communal, local and global issues and processes of transformation in cities, rural communities and civil society.
In her site-specific, participatory, collaborative projects, the artist acts as an advocate on behalf of local residents and Indigenous peoples. Among her enduring interests are the Rights of Nature which over the past decade have gradually begun to be enshrined in law alongside human rights.
Photo: Martina Zaletel
Marjetica Potrč: The Living World Deliberates the Challenge of Our Time, 2025, detail. Helsinki Biennial 8.6.–21.9.2025, HAM Helsinki Art Museum. Photo: HAM / Helsinki Biennial / Sonja Hyytiäinen
The Living World Deliberates the Challenge of Our Time, 2025
Artwork location: HAM Helsinki Art Museum
The mural in HAM’s north gallery is a composite of two original drawings, The Assembly: All Listen, All Are Heard (2024) and The Ashaninkas, Along with Their Friends in Tirana and New Babylon, Contemplate the Power of Pattern (2009).
“The mural is a narrative drawing focused on the need for humans and nature to live together as equals. This is the challenge of our time and the stakes are nothing less than the survival of humanity on Earth. Several characters are shown – a tree, a fox and, on either side, two spirits, Climate Death and the Spiritual Owner, as well as the painted face of an Indigenous person, an Ashaninka from the Amazonian rainforest.
Many smaller figures – humans, animals and plants – are busy preparing for the Assembly of the Living World. The Assembly has been called in order to discuss the establishment of an egalitarian relationship between humans and the natural world, especially in view of the climate crisis and recent debates over the rights of nature. Here, at last, everyone listens and everyone is heard. Ultimately, the mural is a call for human institutions to respect the principles and values of the entire living world.”