In an Ecuadorian Cloud Forest, Two Mycologists Catalogue Hundreds of Fantastical Fungi

Marasmius

Scientists believe that less than .04 percent (check out that decimal point!) of the world’s fungi has been documented, which adds up to only a little over 120,000 species out of a conservatively estimated 3.2 million worldwide. Mycologists Danny Newman and Roo Vandegrift have spent the last 12 years focusing on locations impacted by the climate crisis and increasing human interference, like Ecuador’s Reserva Los Cedros. Their stunning photographs (previously) capture the vibrant hues, delicate gills, and thin stems of a vast range of fungi in the mountainous cloud forest.

In 2018, the Ecuadorian government declared the Los Cedros reserve—one of the last unlogged watersheds on the western slope of the Andes—open for mining, putting countless flora and fauna at risk. “In a stunning legal upset, the mining concessions which threatened to turn Los Cedros into a toxic, barren wasteland were rescinded by the Ecuadorian supreme court, who specifically cited…our fungal diversity research in their ruling,” Newman says.

Spanning six expeditions, the duo recently published an in-depth survey of their findings, cataloguing a wealth of previously unknown species and providing what Newman calls “one of the most comprehensive contributions to Ecuadorian mycology in the country’s history.” Vandegrift is also the producer of a visually stunning upcoming documentary titled Marrow of the Mountain, filmed during an expedition in 2018 and 2019. 

Explore more images and descriptions on Mushroom Observer and both Newman and Vandegrift’s Instagrams.

 

Aurapex penicilliata

Favolaschia

Mycenaceae

Fibulostilbum phylaciicola

Agaricales

Ceriporia

Trichopeziza

Physalacriaceae

Physalacriaceae

Longisetae

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Four Medicinal Plants ‘Rewild’ Mumbai in a New Mural Series by Mona Caron

All images courtesy of Pranav Gohil and St+art India Foundation, shared with permission

Four hardy plants soar toward the Mumbai skyline in a new series of murals by Swiss artist Mona Caron (previously). Known for her stunning portrayals of weeds and botanicals thought of as ugly or undesirable, Caron celebrates the resilient specimens native to India that are often found poking through the concrete and along dusty roadsides.

Taking its title from the name of the vegetation, Kurdu, Takla, Chhota Kalpa, Kantakari brings together four medicinal plants that burst through the urban environment despite the harsh conditions. “Unflinching, Kurdu won’t even bother to pick a sheltered spot. No matter how destroyed the terrain, right in everyone’s way, like a cow ambling across a busy Mumbai street, it gently floats the sacred into the midst of our daily chaos, mostly skirted unnoticed,” Caron shares.

The works celebrate this strength and determination and advocate for recognizing their worth. “It takes closeness to the earth to harvest its blessings; it takes traditional knowledge to know the best way to. Let’s honor this wisdom which persists at the grassroots of this bursting metropolis, against all pressures to uproot,” she says.

These murals were created as part of this year’s Mumbai Urban Art Festival organized by St+art India Foundation. Find more from Caron on her site and Instagram.

 

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Hugh Hayden’s First Monograph Surveys the Inhospitable Nature of the American Dream

“Hedges” (2019), sculpted wood, lumber, hardware, mirror, and carpet, 144 x 208 x 208 inches. Photo by Mark Waldhauser, courtesy of the Shed Open Call. All images © Hugh Hayden courtesy of Lisson Gallery, shared with permission

The first monograph of the incisive Hugh Hayden (previously), American Vernacular celebrates a decade of sculptures and installations that evidence his keen political and cultural consciousness. Published by MIT Press and edited by Sarah Montross, the 256-page volume is heavy with images, featuring 90 photos of Hayden’s work that explore conceptions of race and class through intersections with nature.

Frequently working with trees and bark—the latter even envelops the book’s cover with “HUGH” appearing carved into the rough, protective sheath—Hayden is drawn to wood and often utilizes the material to consider the vast array of issues born from slavery and its enduring legacy. Both “Hedges” and “The Jones Part 3” shown here feature branches protruding from the surfaces of the domestic works that make them impossible to use, a metaphor Hayden returns to as he examines the inhospitable realities of life in the U.S. “All of my work is about the American dream, whether it’s a table that’s hard to sit at or a thorny school desk. It’s a dream that is seductive but difficult to inhabit,” he says.

American Vernacular is currently available from Bookshop.

 

“Hangers #3” (2018), fir, walnut, and ebony with oak dowel, steel, 11 x 28 ¼ x 12 ½ inches. Private collection

“Good Hair 3 (Brainwash)” (2021), white oak, wire-drawn black boar hair (bristle), metal face mask, 10 x 11 ½ x 9 ½ inches. Private collection

Detail of “Hedges” (2019), sculpted wood, lumber, hardware, mirror and carpet, 144 x 208 x 208 inches. Photo by Mark Waldhauser, courtesy of the Shed Open Call

“The Jones Part 3” (2018), sculpted eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) with steel, 78 ½ x 180 x 26 ¾ inches. Private collection

Detail of “The Jones Part 3” (2018), sculpted eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) with steel, 78 ½ x 180 x 26 ¾ inches. Private collection

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Sisterhood and Maternal Bonds Surface in Sonia Alins’ Ethereal Illustrations of Tranquil Swimmers

“Amor maternal.” All images © Sophie Alins, shared with permission

In Greek mythology, the Oceanid nymphs are the daughters of Oceanus, the great world-encompassing river, and a sea goddess named Tethys. Innumerable and present in every aquatic environment, the poet Hesiod described how they “serve the earth and the deep waters,” personifying springs and the sources of marine expanses. For illustrator Sonia Alins, the stories of the Oceanids provide a well of inspiration. “I’m exploring, in a poetic and allegoric way, concepts such as motherhood and sisterhood,” she tells Colossal. Her dreamy depictions of women and children floating serenely in water (previously) evoke maternal care and emotional connection.

Alins’ ongoing series Dones d’Aigua, which translates to “women of water,” focuses on glowing, full-figured figures who float, bob, and dive unselfconsciously in seemingly infinite expanses of blue rendered in ink, acrylic, and watercolor. Despite the apparent isolation from surrounding land or activity, the figures express deep bonds and a sense of togetherness, security, and tranquility. “I’ve continued creating artworks with clear references to (the Oceanids): motherhood, femininity, feminism, and love,” she says. “Those were the main roles of these Greek goddesses, and I feel linked to them, too.”

Find more of Alins’ work on her website, where you can purchase hand-finished editions and limited-edition prints. She often works with her husband Juanjo Barco, a fellow illustrator, to complete her pieces. You can follow her on Instagram for more updates.

 

“Celebration”

“Amitié”

“Written in the skin”

“Família”

“Motherhood”

“Mother with baby”

“Maternidad”

“Las nadadoras del arrecife”

“Oceanids I”

“Plaisir”

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Sisterhood and Maternal Bonds Surface in Sonia Alins’ Ethereal Illustrations of Tranquil Swimmers appeared first on Colossal.

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From Infancy to Adulthood, Trevon Latin’s Genderless Figures Transform Through Patchwork Bodies

“Big blu” (2023), fabric, sequins, wood, 54 x 48 x 84 inches. All photos by Guillaume Ziccarelli, courtesy of the artist and Perrotin, shared with permission

Large, life-sized doorways and entrances line Perrotin’s New York gallery. Reaching up to seven feet tall, these patchwork planes are made from patterned, sequined, and solid-colored fabrics that evoke the stained glass windows of Christian cathedrals, their curved architectural shapes mimicking the windows and archways of the religious sanctuaries.

The work of artist Trevon Latin (previously), these reliefs can also be seen as portals. Latin is visionary and corrective, using quilted, mixed-media forms to amend historical narratives and envision new realities. Part of their solo show TOYMAKER: Big Blu & the Weeping Walls!! , these works reflect a world that welcomes the fluidity of gender and sexuality and where queer love and joy reign.

 

Left: “I wish I could have listened to my conscience …..And not drunk a drip. I wouldn’t be here in so many pieces….. I shouldn’t have drank a sip” (2023), fabric and sequins stretched on panel, barrettes, beads, phone, bottle, 72 × 51 × 11 inches. Right: “Soul-flower take me flying with you” (2023), fabric stretched on panel, 72 x 51 x 10 inches

Sewn with distinct, vibrant color palettes, the reliefs consider the process of self-discovery and stages of development from infancy to adulthood. A genderless figure emerges through the works, in “I wish I could have listened to my conscience …..And not drunk a drip. I wouldn’t be here in so many pieces….. I shouldn’t have drank a sip” appearing as a barrette-enveloped baby grasping for a bottle. Similar, stylized subjects continue to appear in each of the pieces, an arm extending from the mishmash or embracing another as in “Our daily bred | Blue-berries n’ cream.”

The artist’s childhood in a Southern Black Pentecostal community undergirds the body of work and offers an entry point into exploring how the strictures and rigidity of the church affect the formation of an identity. Although experiencing dysmorphia and confined by these religious doctrines, Latin’s figures continually transform and find greater freedom as they break from their structural bases. The freestanding sculpture “Big Blu” is the final form in the series, its fists pressing into the green, earthen base and hunched back appearing ready to rise and move forward.

TOYMAKER is on view through July 28, and you can find more from Latin on Perrotin.

 

Detail of “I wish I could have listened to my conscience …..And not drunk a drip. I wouldn’t be here in so many pieces….. I shouldn’t have drank a sip” (2023), fabric and sequins stretched on panel, barrettes, beads, phone, bottle, 72 × 51 × 11 inches

Left: “Thumbsucker (Pink)” (2023), fabric and sequins stretched on panel, barrettes, beads, wood, 84 x 47 1/2 x 6 inches. Right: “Thumbsucker (Blue)” (2023), fabric and sequins stretched on panel, barrettes, beads, wood, 84 x 47 1/2 x 6 inches

“Big blu” (2023), fabric, sequins, wood, 54 x 48 x 84 inches

Left: “Lean with the left-lean with the left | Llelow” (2023), fabric stretched on panel, barrettes, beads, boxing gloves, wood, 84 x 50 x 16 inches. Right: “Our daily bred | Blue-berries n’ cream” (2023), fabric and sequins stretched on panel, beads, 84 x 50 x 18 inches

Detail of “Our daily bred | Blue-berries n’ cream” (2023), fabric and sequins stretched on panel, beads. 84 x 50 x 18 inches

Detail of “Big blu” (2023), fabric, sequins, wood, 54 x 48 x 84 inches

Installation view of ‘TOYMAKER: Big Blu & the Weeping Walls!!’

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Incredible New Drone Footage Flies Over the Latest Eruption of Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall Volcano

For more than 800 years, the volcanic system on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula sat dormant. That is, until March 2021, when a fissure vent appeared south of Fagradalsfjall mountain. A throng of scientists, photographers, and tourists descended on the area to capture the long-awaited eruption, with the first event continuing for six months, followed by a second—and very similar one—that ran for less than three weeks in August 2022.

Two days ago, a new eruption began spewing dramatic currents of lava in an area north of Fagradalsfjall, near Litli-Hrútur. Drone pilot Isak Finnbogaso captured stunning footage of the remarkable landscape as it churned molten earth to the surface. You can see more of his footage of Iceland on YouTube and Instagram. (via Kottke)

 

All images © Isak Finnbogason

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