Through subtle glazes and attentive, delicate drawing, the artist gives shape to a sensitive landscape. Her work stems from walks and a prolonged relationship with nature, where observation is a gesture of permanence and attention. Deriva reveals what usually goes unnoticed — discreet forms, fragile and essential structures — making the silent dynamics of life visible.

In a global context of climate crisis, loss of biodiversity, forced displacement of populations and growing geopolitical instability, Deriva takes on a particular resonance. The flight of a seed — fragile, exposed to the winds, dependent on where it will land — mirrors the vulnerability of millions of human lives in transit, as well as the precariousness of ecosystems themselves. Seeds thus become images of survival, adaptation and reinvention in scenarios of uncertainty.

To drift is not to lose oneself: it is to respond to the forces of the world, to seek living conditions, to put down roots where possible. At a time when territories are changing, borders are hardening and the ecological balance is becoming fragile, Sofia Arez’s work reminds us that movement is structural to life — and that, even in instability, the possibility of a future persists.

The exhibition Symbiosis, by Sofia Arez, consists of a group of works portraying lichens found by the artist in a wide variety of environments: rocks, trees, walls, and cliffs. They are everywhere. While walking to work or exercising near home, there are hidden forests of lichens waiting to be discovered.

We know very little about lichens. They are a symbiotic partnership, a mutualistic alliance, and a boundary organism. Lichen-like creatures were among the first to emerge from the “primordial soup” to colonize the planet. The non-dual mode of being of lichens embodies the idea of the French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy of “being singular plural.”
The idea of two beings from different biological kingdoms that cannot live without each other, that come together and transform one another in collaboration — two beings that become one and regenerate infinitely — leads us to view these works by Sofia Arez as metaphors and models for the intricacies of relationships between living entities on Earth.

Art is a lens through which we can explore uncertainty and examine both the necessity and the limitations of human agency in an increasingly complex future. The exhibition Symbiosis explores the role of art as a unique form of inquiry into more harmonious futures and shows how art and science can interrelate and complement one another

The exhibition Symbiosis, by Sofia Arez, consists of a group of works portraying lichens found by the artist in a wide variety of environments: rocks, trees, walls, and cliffs. They are everywhere. While walking to work or exercising near home, there are hidden forests of lichens waiting to be discovered.

We know very little about lichens. They are a symbiotic partnership, a mutualistic alliance, and a boundary organism. Lichen-like creatures were among the first to emerge from the “primordial soup” to colonize the planet. The non-dual mode of being of lichens embodies the idea of the French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy of “being singular plural.”
The idea of two beings from different biological kingdoms that cannot live without each other, that come together and transform one another in collaboration — two beings that become one and regenerate infinitely — leads us to view these works by Sofia Arez as metaphors and models for the intricacies of relationships between living entities on Earth.

Art is a lens through which we can explore uncertainty and examine both the necessity and the limitations of human agency in an increasingly complex future. The exhibition Symbiosis explores the role of art as a unique form of inquiry into more harmonious futures and shows how art and science can interrelate and complement one another

Fungi and Discovery – David Fenster; Jon Cowan; Hamish Pearch; Sofia Arez; Carsten Holler; Takashi Homma

Mushrooms and the Mind – Angelo Plessas; Jeremy Shaw; James Kerr; Laurence Owen; Seana Gavin; Stephan Doitschinoff; Perks and Mini; Sylvie Fleury

Mushrooms in Horizon – Mae Ling Lokko; MycoLyco; Pentagram; Jonathan Zawada; Kristel Peters; Vanessa Barragão; Diana Policarpo

The exhibition Symbiosis, by Sofia Arez, consists of a group of works portraying lichens found by the artist in a wide variety of environments: rocks, trees, walls, and cliffs. They are everywhere. While walking to work or exercising near home, there are hidden forests of lichens waiting to be discovered.

We know very little about lichens. They are a symbiotic partnership, a mutualistic alliance, and a boundary organism. Lichen-like creatures were among the first to emerge from the “primordial soup” to colonize the planet. The non-dual mode of being of lichens embodies the idea of the French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy of “being singular plural.”
The idea of two beings from different biological kingdoms that cannot live without each other, that come together and transform one another in collaboration — two beings that become one and regenerate infinitely — leads us to view these works by Sofia Arez as metaphors and models for the intricacies of relationships between living entities on Earth.

Art is a lens through which we can explore uncertainty and examine both the necessity and the limitations of human agency in an increasingly complex future. The exhibition Symbiosis explores the role of art as a unique form of inquiry into more harmonious futures and shows how art and science can interrelate and complement one another

The exhibition Symbiosis, by Sofia Arez, consists of a group of works portraying lichens found by the artist in a wide variety of environments: rocks, trees, walls, and cliffs. They are everywhere. While walking to work or exercising near home, there are hidden forests of lichens waiting to be discovered.

We know very little about lichens. They are a symbiotic partnership, a mutualistic alliance, and a boundary organism. Lichen-like creatures were among the first to emerge from the “primordial soup” to colonize the planet. The non-dual mode of being of lichens embodies the idea of the French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy of “being singular plural.”
The idea of two beings from different biological kingdoms that cannot live without each other, that come together and transform one another in collaboration — two beings that become one and regenerate infinitely — leads us to view these works by Sofia Arez as metaphors and models for the intricacies of relationships between living entities on Earth.

Art is a lens through which we can explore uncertainty and examine both the necessity and the limitations of human agency in an increasingly complex future. The exhibition Symbiosis explores the role of art as a unique form of inquiry into more harmonious futures and shows how art and science can interrelate and complement one another