What do olives and prickly pears say about belonging?

For Italian-Australian artist Giuseppe Matteo, the answer lies somewhere between the gardens of his childhood and the weeds of South Australia.

Giuseppe has just arrived in Adelaide for a six-month residency as part of The Guildhouse Collections Project, in partnership with the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium.

His work explores the stories plants tell — especially when they’re uprooted, carried across oceans, and reclassified in foreign soil.

In the Mediterranean, olives and prickly pears are cherished — celebrated in food, medicine, and folklore. But here in SA, they’re on the hit list: classified as weeds. This cultural shift is at the heart of Giuseppe’s exploration, blending art, memory, and migration.

Throughout his residency, he’ll be digging through the Gardens’ living and archival collections, talking with staff and scientists, and creating a temporary outdoor installation to be revealed in November.

It’s a project that speaks to many of us with migrant roots or a love of nature’s overlooked storytellers.

Plan a spring visit to the Botanic Gardens to see how Giuseppe brings these green threads together.

More on the Collections Project: loom.ly/KlQtzI4

Photo credit: Sam Roberts