Fungi Artwork by Stephanie Chambers at Fungi Exhibition Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney

Calling all mycophiles and fungi freaks! The Fungi x Botanica Exhibition has officially opened at Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens 24 April - 9 May, 10AM-4PM daily at historic Lion Gate Lodge.

This extraordinary exhibition celebrates the incredible and magical world of fungi, alongside Botanica, which celebrates contemporary botanical art. With over fifty Australian artists exhibiting, the artistic approaches representing fungi are almost as diverse as the Fungi Kingdom itself.

I am thrilled to be exhibiting my psychedelic take on the common and edible oyster mushroom called ‘Blue Oyster Cult’ completed in wax/oil on wood panel. My concept was to take something more ordinary in the fungi kingdom and transform it a bit with a nod to psychedelic colours. Edible fungi and pyschedelic fungi might hold most of our collective fungi knowledge, but the kingdom is vast and incredibly exciting.

Fungi Photograph - Fungi in the Inner West Sydney credit Stephanie Chambers

The Fungi Kingdom

I am a self-professed fungi freak. Fungi are fascinating and incredible as something that both enchants and repels; poisons, yet gives food and nutrients. They can be storybook perfect or hideously grotesque, but for all their contradictions, one thing is certain: fungi have had an important role to play throughout human history. Quite literally the world’s networks, fungi have been around longer than plants and exist almost everywhere on the planet.

While we may be more familiar with mushrooms popping up above ground, it’s actually the network underneath, the mycelium, that holds true storybook magic. These underground networks attach to the roots of plants, helping them absorb nutrients. Without this symbiotic relationship, plants wouldn’t be able to get enough nutrients from the soil to survive.

Even more incredible - these underground networks can help more established plants transfer nutrients to seedlings or plants in the shade that need a little help. Donor plants can send some of their nutrients through this underground network to struggling plants, blowing the lid off ‘survival of the fittest’ is the only kind of evolution. As we learn more and more, it turns out that evolution isn’t as cold-hearted after all and in addition to survival of the fittest, evolution is also the story of cooperation, interaction and symbiotic relationships.

It’s a reminder that nature is an orchestra and each living thing on the planet has an important part to play. Cooperation and interaction with species is key to our survival and fungi are our teachers. Both ancient and futuristic, one thing is for sure, fungi are fascinating.

Banner artwork by artist Anna Voytsekovich for Fungi x Botanica

The Fungi x Botanica Exhibition

If you love fungi and art, this exhibition is for you. As a bonus, if you purchase a piece of art, proceeds from the sale are split between the artists and Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens to support conservation, horticulture, science and education.

Some of my favorite artworks from the exhibition are by celebrated artists such as Beverly Allen’s incredible scientific work, or Jack Buckley’s embroidered fungi set against black and white fungi patterns. The whole exhibition is a real treat and like all art, it’s best to see in person. Hurry before it closes 9 May!

Here’s a link to a map to Lion Gate Lodge.

Cheers,
Stephanie

PS - Here are a few of my fungi photos from Sydney’s Inner West - keep your spirits up, but your eyes down and soon you’ll be spotting fungi everywhere.