Abbas Akhavan, whose work reflects on the historic uses of plant species, has turned the already glassy Canadian pavilion into a hothouse, or “Crystal Palace”, for Victoria water lilies. The seeds came from Kew Gardens, as though in symbolic repatriation, returning the flower not quite where it once originated.

There’s some poetry to this gesture, granted, but Akhavan’s clinical efficiency of purple LED grow lights would make Monet cry. A pile of mossy (bronze?) sticks and a sizeable boulder, together with the show’s cryptic title, help little. 

Is Canada the hot house? Britain the historical master botanist? Akhavan’s puzzle mixes biography with biology. The artist spent much of his career hopping between overseas residencies and uses Canada as a flag of convenience. Yet he became the country’s top cultural export. Some water lily species, meanwhile, are native to Europe. Others — and the list of things, people, and ideas that originated elsewhere is endless — are invasive.