Editor’s thoughts

Xiaojing Yan is a contemporary Chinese Canadian artist whose work explores mythological and cultural references expressed through natural materials rich in physical qualities, such as pine needles, Lingzhi mushrooms, and pearls. The artist is currently focused on nature, and as the artist says, ‘how nature, an inherent force within traditional Chinese art, transcends culture’.
Lingzhi Girl, a series of life-sized busts of young women, is inspired by Chinese mythology and sculpted with live mycelium.
Once mushrooms have successfully sprouted and completed their life cycle, releasing powdery brown spores, Xiaojing Yan finalizes the growth of mycelium by baking the sculpture.

In your work, you have a close and creative relationship with the lingzhi. When did this interest and sensibility for fungus start?

Xiaojing Yan: My interest in and sensibility for lingzhi mushrooms started when I was a child growing up in China. I was immersed in the folktales, myths, and legends of Buddhist and Daoist immortals and fantastical realms. As I grew older, I became more interested in the material and symbolism that carry the meaning of longevity in Chinese culture. All the childhood stories about the lingzhi mushroom resurged in my mind.

Called lingzhi in Chinese (reishi in Japanese), this fungus is scientifically known as Ganoderma. The distinctive fan-shaped, red-varnished-looking fungus is particularly beautiful, making the search for them a delightful experience, especially since this type of mushroom is rare in nature and only grows naturally on a small percentage of fallen, decaying trees. The remarkable features of lingzhi have drawn the attention of people across the world throughout the ages.

On top of its distinguished appearance, lingzhi is also an herb used in Chinese traditional medicine for over 2,000 years and is thought to bring longevity and boost immune function. Sages and doctors also believed it to possess mystical properties. As a result, it has been dubbed “the mushroom of immortality” and is regarded as both a magical herb and an auspicious sign of good fortune and mystical power.

Growing up, I used to listen to many stories about the magical lingzhi mushroom, including the story of Princess Yao Ji’s soul clinging to a lingzhi mushroom, turning it into a mushroom of immortality, and the story of the White Snake achieving magical powers with the help of the lingzhi. These stories always fascinated me.

There is a deep connection between culture and nature in your work. What’s the role of nature in your creative practice and life?

Xiaojing Yan: For me, nature has always played a significant role in my artistic practice and life. It has been a source of inspiration for my creative work, and it has also provided me with a way to disconnect from the fast-paced modern world and find peace and serenity.

Living in Canada has given me the opportunity to embrace the beauty of nature. The wild, untamed landscapes have become a part of my life, and I relish the moments I get to camp and hike in the great outdoors. These experiences have provided me with a chance to connect with the natural world and find inspiration in its unique beauty.

During the fall season, there is nothing more magical than walking through a forest and smelling the fresh scent of pine. I am always filled with a sense of delight and awe when I stumble upon beautiful mushrooms popping up on logs or the ground. It feels like I am Alice in Wonderland or The Little Red Riding Hood, discovering treasures out of fairy tales.

Through my artistic practice, I have been able to integrate the natural world into my work, using elements of nature to create sculptures and installations that reflect the beauty and fragility of the environment. I also use the natural elements as metaphors or symbols exploring themes such as growth, decay, transformation, and the cycle of life. The beauty, complexity, and unpredictability of nature in my work also convey emotions and ideas in a powerful and evocative way.

I feel a deep sense of connection to the earth and its inhabitants, and I believe that my art is a way to express my love and appreciation for the natural world. It is through this work that I hope to create awareness of the importance of preserving the natural world and its resources for future generations.

In the origins of Lingzhi Girl, there is a figure of a young woman that reminds us of a fairy-tale heroine. What does this figure represent? Could you share a little bit about it?

Xiaojing Yan: As a child growing up in China, I was immersed in the folktales, myths, and legends of Buddhist and Daoist immortals and fantastical realms. The heroine is often depicted as a brave and resourceful figure who overcomes adversity to achieve her goals. These heroines can be human or supernatural beings, and they are usually imbued with magical powers or blessed with good fortune. Like most children would do, I imagined myself surrounded by the immortals, as one of them, special and unique with magical powers and profound insight.

As a daughter living overseas, I often struggle with fulfilling my filial duties toward my aging parents. This is why the Lingzhi Girl holds personal significance for me. Additionally, as both a daughter and a mother, I see parallels between the relationship of parent and child and that of the Lingzhi and the woodchips. The woodchips are bonded by mycelium to create the sculpture form of a young girl, while the bust of the young girl also provides nutrition for the mushrooms.

The Lingzhi Girl is a sculpted vessel made of live mycelium. If well nurtured, mushrooms will sprout and eventually complete their life cycle. What is the most exciting part of the process and what are the main challenges?

Xiaojing Yan: The process of growing the Lingzhi Girl involves several crucial steps that require patience, attention to detail, and detailed control over the growing environment. To start the process, I need to prepare the spores for growth, which includes sterilizing everything to prevent unwanted mold from growing. I then packed the mixture of sterilized woodchips and prepared lingzhi spores into the mold I created. To ensure the germination of the spores, I controlled the light, temperature, and humidity. Once the spores start to produce mycelium, which appears as a series of feathery webs, the mycelium fills up the gaps between the woodchips and binds them together, acting as a binding agent. After the mycelium completely covers the woodchips, I remove the mold, and the sculpture becomes structurally intact thanks to the activities of the mycelium.

I then place the sculpture in a small greenhouse with a controlled growth environment and step back, letting the sculpture sculpt itself. The mycelium continues to develop under the surface, and in a few weeks, the pinheads of the lingzhi start to appear, slowly turning into lingzhi fruit bodies. The sculpture continues to evolve during this process. After about 3-4 months, the mushrooms mature and produce a coco-powder-like dusting of spores on the surface of the sculpture.

My Collaboration with nature by employing live mycelium has been a challenging yet exhilarating experience. It took me around two years to successfully cultivate my first lingzhi bust. One of the main challenges is ensuring that the substrate is sterile and free from unwanted mold growth. To achieve this, I must sterilize the woodchips in a pressure cooker for several hours and use a clean working environment. This can be time-consuming and requires meticulous attention to detail, but it’s essential to ensure the success of the growth.

The most exciting part of the process for me is watching the mycelium grow and transform into a living and breathing entity. The unpredictable nature of mycelium’s growth is both exciting and challenging. While I can control certain aspects of the growth environment, such as temperature, humidity, and light levels, the mycelium may still grow in unexpected ways, resulting in unique and unpredictable forms for each sculpture.

There are interesting reflections implicit in your work about time, life, decay, and their connection to nature and culture. What thoughts have been lately on your mind about these subjects?

Xiaojing Yan: These topics are complex and multifaceted, and there is much to be explored and learned. Throughout history, humans have grappled with the existential questions surrounding the meaning of life and the inevitability of death. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought these questions to the forefront of our collective consciousness, highlighting the need for us to reconcile our cultural practices with the natural world. As we confront the converging crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem degradation, it is essential that we re-examine our ways of knowing, doing, and being in the world.

The intersection of technology, spirituality, and nature offers a unique opportunity to explore these themes and reimagine our relationship with the natural world. AR and VR technologies have the potential to create immersive experiences that transport us through time and space. It can offer me a means of escape from the limitations of physical existence, allowing for new forms of creativity and exploration. 

In this context, I am working on a VR project, which draws inspiration from mythology and explores themes of technology, spirituality, nature, and transcendence. It aims to raise awareness of the symbiotic relationship between humanity and nature, focusing on the self, on nature, or simply on “life”. The concept of life in the virtual world is a complex and evolving one, as it raises questions about the nature of consciousness, identity, and embodiment.

Through this project, I aim to create a space for thoughtful reflection and discussion, inviting viewers to engage in conversations about the complex and multifaceted issues surrounding time, life, decay, and our connection to the natural world.

Interview with Xiaojing Yan by Rita Trindade | Video/Images courtesy of the artist.