The gift exercise / Invitation 11: Onion Ring

The onion is one of the oldest and most important crops used by humans, playing an important role worldwide not only in cuisine, but also in medicine, mythology and spiritual practices. The shape and structure of the onion have been interpreted as a symbol of the cycles of life in many places of the world.
Together with refugees living in the region, Willimann/Arai 2025 have grown an onion garden at the Hof Blum with the aim of initiating a circular exchange between the place, its soil and land inhabitants, the project participants and the public.
The long-term project is intended as a joint learning process between the different perspectives, expertise and forms of knowledge that the participants bring with them, whilst also dealing with legal exclusions.


2025, the group produced 200 onion braids from the harvest, using various braiding techniques. This common method of preserving onions also serves another purpose: According to a widespread belief, onions ward off evil and protect against illness when hung from ceilings or above doors. After a year, these onions lose their protective power and must be replaced.

For the exhibition project EXPANDED FIELDS – ERDE/N the onion braids were arranged into a sculpture. Visitors could become part of the Onion Ring by acquiring an onion braid – in exchange for money or labor in the field the following season – thus contributing to the continuation of the exchange cycle. The receipts for these barter transactions were in turn incorporated into the sculpture.