Exhibiting toxicity: sprayed strawberries and geographies of hope

Abstract

Exposición was a 2022 art exhibition that explored seasonal farm labourers’ exposure to strawberry herbicides in Huelva, Andalusia. Drawing upon a multidisciplinary collaboration of art, social geography and soil science, the following discussion contextualises Exposición and offers reflection on the exhibition as an immersive site for figuratively re-sensing lived experiences of heavily polluted places. The exhibition provided space in which configurations of matter, affect and atmospherics might allow contemplation of environmental toxicity, while also being a means of voicing the care, solidarity and hope enacted by affected communities.