Fungus on Flannel by Kirra Kent

Kirra Kent

Fungus on Flannel

Site #3

Stanley A. Milner Library
(7 Sir Winston Churchill Square)

Monday - Friday: 9:00am-9:00pm
Saturday:
9am-6:00pm
Sunday:
10am-5pm

This exhibit features images of fungi on reclaimed materials, including leftover plywood panels that were sourced from a kitchen renovation, and textiles that were inherited from a family collection. Fungi are the central subject of the exhibit as they are one of the few groups of organisms capable of decomposing increasingly common semi-synthetic clothing materials.

WORKSHOP: Fungus, Flannel, and Paint with Kira Kent

Saturday, June 28
2:30 - 5:00pm

Join artist Kirra Kent for an afternoon of painting and learning. Follow along as you create a mushroom & rove beetle scene, while Kirra explains the functional morphology and the ecological relationships of the painting subjects. Click here to register.


ARTIST STATEMENT

“I find strange organisms charming; I paint to make an argument for the reconsideration of what is believed to be worthwhile and beautiful.

Hours spent in the quiet backrooms of natural history museums and afternoons spent flipping logs in the woods have left me attentive to the ignored. My work largely aims to elevate underrepresented elements of the natural world like fungi and slugs in order to show them as worthy equals to the more conventional natural subjects often depicted in art.

I find strange organisms charming; I paint to make an argument for the reconsideration of what is believed to be worthwhile and beautiful. Underrepresented subjects serve as an allegory for the broadly underrepresented perspectives of neurodivergent individuals, whose interests and vision may seem disconnected from others.

Fungus on Flannel was inspired by temporal serendipity: at the same time as the river valley exploded with fungal biodiversity in the later summer, I was tasked with organizing the fabric collection of my grandmother, a late-stage dementia patient. I was confronted with a mountain of potential ‘garbage.’ I did not want to participate in the now multi-generational hoarding of textiles, which mostly comprised of pieces too small to make garments from. Yet simultaneously, my discomfort with the prospect of throwing out an entire room of fabric led me to develop my own solution: I started to paint.

When I embarked on this painting project, I wanted to celebrate those organisms who wait beyond the end user of our products—the decomposers whose work grows more insurmountable yet more critical with each passing day. Eventually, I had produced a visually overwhelming collection of paintings that reflected my perception of the growing global trash pile.

Using reclaimed textiles allows me to work with the preexisting patterns on the surface in concert with the subject and reduces my contribution to the waste crisis. Whenever appropriate, I use my work as a venue for scientific communication: it is easier to connect with a painting than it is with a Wikipedia article. Global biodiversity is declining, yet only a fraction of it is seen up close; I intend to capture as much of it on canvas as I can through an emotionally accessible lens.


ABOUT THE ARTIST

Kirra has maintained a love of art, spiders, and science since early childhood. In the last four years, she has finally embraced the collision of all three. After receiving a Diploma of Animation from the Vancouver Institute of Media Arts (VanArts) in 2014, they went on to get both a bachelor's degree (2022) and a master's degree in science (2024) from the University of Alberta. Despite the outward presentation of a strictly science-focused past decade, illustration has been a key component of three of her current scientific publications, as well as her digital anti-arachnophobia book.

In parallel with academics, they have used most of their free time to experiment with the functional limitations of gouache, watercolour, and acrylic. Recently, in 2024, Kirra has participated in several group exhibitions, with more scheduled in 2025.

https://kirra.odoo.com/

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The Aromatic Wheel of Fungi by Isabelle Kirouac and Willoughby Arévalo

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Alberta Craft Council