Myka Baum

Myka Baum’s practice is concerned with the fragility of nature and how we have become so disconnected from both it and our animal being. 

The work is largely informed by her deep engagement with, and close observation of nature: ’feeling her way intellectually into the inner heart of a thing to locate what is unique and inexpressible in it’ (Henri Bergson).There is a fascination with the processes of growth and decay and an ongoing investigation into the point at which nature becomes an image. With the assistance of the organisms that are the subject of study, their microbiology is recorded onto the photographic surface as an attempt to make tangible the ephemera of nature. 

Her Lunar Mare series was selected for Bloomberg New Contemporaries in 2009. Other key exhibitions included Café Park Gallery, Brighton Photo Fringe, Photofusion, Cornerhouse, APT gallery amongst others in the UK. International group shows have included New York, Barcelona, Cologne and Milan.

Myka grew up in Münster, Germany. After 28 years in London, Brexit and the Pandemic brought change and Myka now lives and works in both London and Münster.

After 10 years in the Rat Race and a breakdown, photography and art became a tool for recovery and Myka went on to study Photography at Central Saint Martins followed by Postgraduate Study in Print at Royal College of Art.

Image: A dried SCOBY (Symbiotic Cultures of Bacteria and Yeast) showing an abundance of yeast