My essay deals with the way we tell and perceive the relationship between humans and nature. To make the text accessible, it takes as its starting point a well-known German children's song that describes the seasons in fixed, harmonious images – a narrative that has long been outdated in view of climatic changes.

In their solo exhibitions in Biel, the artists Cécile Monnier and Janis Polar engage with these ideas. In Antarctic Archives, Polar questions the myth of the untouched Antarctic and shows how human interests and geopolitical constructions shape the image of this landscape. Monnier, on the other hand, deals with personal memories of nature from her childhood and sheds light on the ambivalent relationship between caring for and interfering in natural ecosystems.

In the course of the essay, I show that our relationship to the environment is not static – it can and must be retold. And I make the case for a more critical engagement with the stories we tell about nature. In doing so, we can develop new perspectives for confronting the challenges of the Anthropocene.