Mushroom Mania
Nature serves as a source of artistic inspiration for thousands of creative minds around the world. Rarely, however, does this involve the strange and unique forms of mushrooms. Pioneering Brooklyn artist Phyllis Ma takes her imagination to the flora of our natural world, inspiring quirky creations for her artwork as well as her fashion. Her unique designs serve to remind us of the great value of setting yourself apart from others and finding beauty in the unexpected.
Brooklyn artist Phyllis Ma: Via IG @specialnothing
Born in Guangzhou, China, Ma is a Chinese-American artist with a particular penchant for the natural world through her still life photography. Her brilliantly vivid ongoing series, “Mushrooms and Friends,” places these fungal organisms at the center of her creations, with her cultural heritage shining through the oriental floral arrangements serving as the backdrops. The project serves to emphasize the important role that mushrooms play in a variety of different aspects of our lives, ranging from their ecological to psychological benefits. It resonates with the deep-rooted cultural fascination with all things fungi, bringing these alien plants into the foreground of technicolor compositions.
The artist stated how she discovered this “potential as an art material” upon visiting a small, urban farm cultivating mushrooms under blue light. Ma forages through the forests of Europe, as well as nearby Brooklyn, seeking that exotic growth of a fungal spore. Her work exemplifies the potential to find abstract sources of beauty in the most unexpected locations, often at the tips of our fingers without even knowing. The ephemeral elegance of mushrooms appearing on a rainy day sheds a new sense of optimism on the gloomy autumnal months to come. Ma’s work evokes beauty in simplicity, eliciting a mesmerizing introduction to the world of mycology.
“Chlorophyllum” by Phyllis Ma
And it is not just artwork through which Ma’s imaginative individualism shines. Having previously enrolled at fashion school before making the transition to an artist, Ma’s fashion takes inspiration from homemade, vintage aesthetics. In keeping with the environmental theme of her artwork, the majority of the artist’s wardrobe is homemade, or at the very least second-hand. The vibrant color palettes of her photographic designs are matched by her ebullient clothing designs (and ever-changing hair colors). Taking inspiration from her cultural heritage, Ma’s fashion draws on a variety of Asian clothing brands, twining this together with a classic American streetwear look. With the occasional handmade bag or shoes to complete the ensemble, you end up with a unique, eye-catching streetwear style, with Ma’s passion for the environment interwoven throughout.
Via Vogue Magazine/Sam Bruchez
Just because the days are growing shorter and the weather gloomier does not mean all the color of the world must trickle away. Nature is an ever-changing, timeless muse, where beauty can be found in the most abstract and unique locations. This is what Phyllis Ma’s work is all about. By utilizing the boundless patterns, colors, and shapes found everywhere you look, she has brought the vivid individuality of nature to life through her artwork and wardrobe. Whether this inspiration is drawn from the study of mushrooms, or your wardrobe emboldened by handcrafted clothes, a colorful outlook is a courageous, dauntless, and inspiring outlook. As the deep greens of summer give way to the autumnal glow of autumn, there is endless beauty still to be found all around, you just have to look.
