New Farmer

NEW FARMER

The photographs we’ve been shown in brochures and business reports of agricultural corporations in the past century suggest that the Green Revolution was a complete success: the abundant growth of new high-yielding corn varieties is contrasted with meagre harvests from traditional farming. Satisfied farmers sit on new machines that do all the hard work for them. No unwanted weeds in sight. The results are there for everyone to see. But is this the whole truth?

New Farmer poses as a collection of documentary photographs from the 1960s that seem to reiterate the success story of the Green Revolution: genetic manipulation results in new crop varieties which result in bigger and better harvests. As the story unfolds however, there are cracks. The images hover just slightly beyond believability until finally turning absurd. They are not the historical photographs they claim to be, but AI-generated images. The story itself, while bearing some resemblance to actual events, is also made up: this alternative version doesn’t end in the giant fields of monocultures that surround us today, but instead brings about oversized vegetables.

With absurdity and humor, New Farmer explores the way history is made and perceived through images and questions the dominant narrative of the Green Revolution. The project reflects on our extractive relationship to nature, inviting viewers to take a critical look at our place within the biosphere and the ripple effects of our actions.

Bruce Eesly
Portrait of Bruce Eesly ©Liesl Pfeffer

ARTIST: BRUCE EESLY

Born 1984 in Berlin, Germany. Lives and works in Berlin, Germany.

Bruce Eesly is a visual artist and gardener. Working with photography, archives and artificially generated images, his work blurs fact and fiction to disturb commonly accepted historical narratives. He is interested in the status of photography in the age of AI and its role in shaping our relationship to the natural world. As a gardener, his work is informed by a curiosity for the history and impacts of industrial agriculture and the absurdities of our technological worship. He considers gardening a political act and his practice is an extension of this belief.
Bruce Eesly. A swarm of bees is attracted by wildflowers at the Hammerhof, 1951, New Farmer series, 2023. Courtesy of the artist.
Bruce Eesly. Selected potato varieties are rated in sixteen categories according to the LURCH Desirable Traits Checklist, 1952, New Farmer series, 2023. Courtesy of the artist.
Bruce Eesly. Farm table in Dengen, 1955, New Farmer series, 2023. Courtesy of the artist.
Bruce Eesly. Peter Trimmel wins first prize for his UHY fennel at the Kooma Giants Show in Limburg, 1956, New Farmer series, 2023. Courtesy of the artist.
Bruce Eesly. Grocery store in Dengen, 1960, New Farmer series, 2023. Courtesy of the artist.
Bruce Eesly. Broccoli farm near Limburg, 1962, New Farmer series, 2023. Courtesy of the artist.