GOBUGSGO — SET NATURE FREE!
In 2018, art historian Fiona Liewehr wrote on the occasion of the first presentation of GOBUGSGO at Kunsthalle Wien: “In his new internationally oriented project, Edgar Honetschläger addresses the attempt to initiate collective re-naturalization measures, giving insects back their habitats… A transdisciplinary initiative involving lawyers, biologists, farmers, and real estate developers. GOBUGSGO is a collaborative practice calling on each of us to take action to save the Earth from imminent collapse… On his 800 m² vegetable plot north of Rome, Honetschläger encountered an eerie silence after years of drought. Over the past 20 years, 80% of insects globally and, as a result, 40% of bird populations have disappeared. Lack of rain, pesticide use, and light pollution are causing these small creatures to vanish, disrupting natural pollination and reducing crop yields. Butterflies, cicadas, and fireflies suddenly seem like creatures from a distant past.
This was reason enough for the artist to stop and, drawing from the experiences of a globally thinking traveler, to act locally as well as globally. In collaboration with Italian farmers, he began developing new cultivation methods. Alongside his rapidly growing garden, he founded a community initiative to protect insects, called GOBUGSGO. What if millions of people around the globe, concerned about the Earth’s future, came together, purchased plots of land, and returned them to nature? Places where plants, insects, birds, and other animals can thrive undisturbed, places where humans neither build, fertilize, intervene, nor destroy. Non-Human Zones…
Edgar Honetschläger is not a disconnected dreamer or societal dropout but a utopian realist developing a constructive vision for the future of our environment and social coexistence through his artistic practice. He founded a non-profit organization, launched a website, and networked through social media with the realms of business, politics, and art. He also harvested hundreds of kilos of tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplants, preserved them, and now distributes them at the Kunsthalle, packaged in cartons alongside a printed leaflet, to those ‘Buggies’ willing to join the *GOBUGSGO!* movement. By collectively purchasing land and transferring it into shared ownership, the goal is to prioritize the preservation of our shared ecological foundation over the short-sighted pursuit of individual profit. Go Bugs Go!”
By 2025, GOBUGSGO has transformed eight plots in Austria and Italy into Non-Human Zones.
In an interview with Thomas Redl, editor of the art magazine fair, Edgar Honetschläger explains: “Through presentations in museums and on the internet, we recruit members (Buggies). Individual ownership can be expropriated, for instance, to expand a road. When people own a patch of land collectively, politics will find it hard to override the will of voters. This raises an economic question: What happens when land is withdrawn from human productivity? And also: How do we measure the value of nature? Isn’t it time to abandon the hubris that we are the crown of creation? We need to understand that, following the principles of deep ecology, all life forms are equally valuable—the smallest worm has the same right to live as a human.
Our plots range from 22.000sf to 12 acres. Our biologists, entomologists, ecologists, and foresters have developed criteria for ideal vegetation for insects, which guide our purchases. Funded solely by membership fees, all work is voluntary. The incentives I create serve as incentives themselves. These are part of my art n’ nature packages, exhibited during GoBuGOBUGSGOgsGo presentations in cultural venues to attract new members. Members receive a 4x4x4 inch cube—a multiple containing a project booklet, one of my printed drawings, a homemade preserved food item, and a membership certificate.
The utopian aspect of GOBUGSGO is that our zones are no longer accessible to humans—they are withdrawn from human use. This is provocative and, under current laws, technically impossible, as every square inch of land is zoned for specific purposes. Yet, with the help of our lawyers and notaries, we make it happen! GOBUGSGO engages in politics without being a political party. It intervenes in society. Modernity was a deep rupture in art—a caesura we are still grappling with. In the 21st century, we need a comparable leap forward. GOBUGSGO attempts to do so.
Non-Human Zone means non-intervention. Normally, an artist shapes or creates. The GOBUGSGO collective draws from diverse life experiences—almost every profession is represented. At best, I am a kind of director, a vessel that collects ideas and draws conclusions. Together, we decide on the next steps. Pure democracy. For this artwork, I cannot decide alone; we collectively determine the course. GOBUGSGO demystifies the idea of the artist as a hero. It is the community that acts. Consequently, the resulting art goes beyond awareness or critique—it becomes tangible. It does not serve the market or personal interests but manifests in something no-material, something unsellable. It manifests in a piece of nature that cannot be speculated on. Non- Human Zones belong to insects belongs, non-human beings —humans safeguard its integrity and protect it.
In the spirit of Joseph Beuys, GOBUGSGO is a social sculpture. In ready-made terms, the artist declares a piece of land a living sculpture. By this declaration alone, it is already protected. Thus, the dichotomy between nature and culture dissolves. Nature, inherently anti-civilizational, becomes culture and, therefore, worthy of protection. All that humans create, they strive to preserve; yet they destroy the very nature that underpins their existence.
Our Non-Human Zones enjoy dual protection—through their declaration as sculptures and through the community. GOBUGSGO expands the concept of democracy—why should it only serve humans? GOBUGSGO attempts to defeat capitalism with its own tools. Everything we do serves only the community—the community of all living beings on Earth. The project seeks to dismantle the patriarchal concept of the genius artist. GOBUGSGO steps out of the temples of art. It is deliberately designed to be understood even by those unrelated to art.”
GOBUGSGO expands the concept of democracy—why should it serve only humans? It aims to beat capitalism with its own weapons. What we do serves one purpose and one purpose only: the community, the community of all living beings on this planet. The project seeks to dissolve the patriarchal notion of genius… GOBUGSGO steps out of the temples of art. GOBUGSGO is deliberately designed to be understood by people who have no connection to art.
Our generation is often criticized for our carbon print, but that’s not entirely fair as it goes back many generations. This sheds light on two terms: comfort and reduction. Why should everything always be comfortable? Reducing one’s desires , in my opinion, is not something bitter. It cannot be bad; on the contrary—it is liberating. One can live a very simple life and be happier than with all the conveniences in the world.