Juan Ferrer

Micorriza Arbuscular, 2021
Digital Photographic Collage, 36 x 84 in.

Digital collage made with microscopic images of arbuscular mycorrhiza. The artwork is an interpretation of the mycorrhizal symbiosis between plants and fungi; a mutualist collaboration that sustains ecosystems through the underground. For the piece, images made by my collaborator Patricia Silva-Flores, Ph.D., were manipulated to portray a kind of "hug" between the two organisms, representing this kind of symbiosis where both organisms benefit. The exposed digital manufacturing of the collage also enlightens a debate around a fungal technology; and how this mycorrhizal bond could help recuperate environments that have been affected by different factors.

Juan Ferrer (he/they, 1991) - Chilean designer Since 2016 he has been directing and curating the exhibitions for Museo del Hongo (or Fungus Museum), in which his thrill for science and passion for art converge. Through his work, Ferrer questions disciplinary boundaries by proposing new concepts in scientific engagement through artistic, immersive, and interactive experiences in a museum space. His work has been showcased in Chile, Berlin, USA, and Spain, in both artistic and scientific events. Currently, he is a student at NYU's XE: Experimental Humanities and Social Engagement program.