FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Entertainment

Artist Creates Stunning Portraits with Moss and Fungi

Lina Hsaio captures what she calls "human texture" in her dynamic mixed-media portraits.
Images courtesy the IMAGE Gallery

If the above sculpture looks like it's made from that mossy stuff that grows on the rocks and trees outside your grandparents' farm, that’s because it is. In addition to some of her oil paintings, artist Lina Hsaio will be showcasing a series of these original and unique mixed-media portraits in her first solo exhibition at the IMAGE Gallery, Visceral Gouda.

Hsaio’s portraits are made up a variety of different materials including mosses and lichen, a composite organism that grows out of algae or cyanobacteria. Lichen comes in many colors, sizes, forms, and it can grow on almost any surface, so it seems natural to have been adopted by an artist working in a tremendous breadth of mediums. The bush-like leafy textures on the faces of her portraits resemble the gritty surfaces of coral reefs and wave-battered sea walls, not dissimilar to the creatures in the work of filmmaker Tobias Stretch.

Advertisement

“Lina’s series of mixed media portraits displaying erratic forms of the human condition with elements that are not to be confined to universals symbols,” the show's press release explains. Hsaio looks outside the box, utilizing materials unfamiliar to the art world to capture what she describes as the “human texture.” Peter Jackson and his crew could have used Hsaio when they were working on The Two Towers—she would have made one bad ass Tree Ent.

Visceral Gouda runs at IMAGE Gallery in Brooklyn from October 9th to November 6th. Check out more from the artist here.

Related:

How To Turn Your Keyboard Into A Log In The Woods… Wait

Artist Creates Living Graffiti

Viral Style: 3D Printed Moss Jewelry And The Return Of Jelly Shoes

New Stop-Motion Film "Unity" Is The Work Of A Potential Animation Legend