Bohemia’s Garden

Bohemia’s Garden is a series of large-format photographs documenting the gardens near my hometown, which is known for its high soil fertility and nicknamed “The Garden of Bohemia.” At the same time, this region once suffered severe ecological devastation from coal mining and the chemical industry.  

The project focuses on boundary zones where urban, wild, rural, and industrial landscapes converge, especially in garden colonies on city outskirts. I am interested in how these liminal spaces reveal the tension between our desire to organize nature and the persistence of the natural world. The series is informed by my growing climate anxiety. When I began the project, I thought about how interest in gardening rose during the Covid pandemic, about food security, and the extreme heat and drought Europe experiences every summer. I also considered how gardens are always in flux, yet serve as a record of time and our activity on the planet.

Bohemia’s Garden connects these small cultivated plots to broader environmental concerns and considers how gardening fosters an evolving relationship with nature, the climate, and our sense of time.