APIAN, the "Ministry of Bees", was launched around ten years ago by the Swiss artist Aladin Borioli as an artistic research project. It is dedicated to the various fields of relationships between humans and bees, involving actors from art, anthropology, philosophy and the natural sciences. APIAN is an ongoing project that takes on various forms of presentation and collaboration.

"APIAN is a collaborative space, inviting experts from various disiplines, to build a refuge to encounter bees on a more egalitarian basis away from capitalist destructive practices. The ministry’s work is primarily focusing on maintaining ties and fostering new relations with all bees." (Aladin Borioli)

The exhibition at M.1 shows parts of Apian’s work, including a short film on the effect of pesticides on bee brain made in collaboration with the artist Nephila and the German zoologist and neurobiologist Randolf Menzel, wall-sized collages made with archive images, as well as original research materials.

More specifically, the exhibition focuses on APIAN's latest area of research, which deals with a specific historical form of beehive - the "Bannkorb". These beehives were mainly used in northern Germany between the 16th and 19th centuries and are characterized by the use of a wooden mask to ward off the evil eyes. In the exhibition, photographic documentation of this specific Northern German folk culture is presented alongside a small selection of original beehives from the Institute of Apiculture in Celle and from the Heimatbund Soltau e. V. (Soltau Heritage Association).

By linking modern scientific knowledge production with cultural history and traditional culture, the exhibition allows us to imagine a sustainable relationship between humans and bees in the future.