Mycophilia
by Nika Sandler
In "The Romance of the Fungus World", researchers Rolfe write that in literature, folklore and science, fungus are often associated with pestilence, death and decay, and their physicality appears creepy and repulsive. In this series, I move away from the mycophobic images of fungoid entities in terms of conventional ideas and show their ability to be creative and hospitable. I depict fungus as being like unearthly creatures, as in myths and theories about their cosmic origin.
Bio
Nika Sandler is an artist working with photography and text. She explores the themes of human and non-human gaze, gender, pleasure, creepy and disgusting. She was published in the magazines i-D, Libération, Der Greif, Phroom Platform, Calvert Journal, Metal Magazine, L'Oeil de la Photographie, BROAD, Bird in Flight, FK Magazine, F-STOP, Float Magazine, ect. She is also the winner of the Small File Photo Festival 2023 organized by The Photographers' Gallery.