Between Art and Flower. The Mushroom Motif in Contemporary Art

The remarkable phenomenon of mushrooms and their picking is something particular to Czech society. In the last two decades an increasing number of artists have been depicting mushrooms in their works; they have become both a motif and a source of inspiration. This is related to the way kitsch is perceived in postmodern art and how meaning and form have changed over the course of time. In this collection of texts, mushrooms are studied through mushroom themed artefacts by contemporary artists as well as through several retrospective insights into the 20^th century, with respect to their magic, ornamental and symbolic importance and their significance to mushroom pickers.