Statement
Myka Baum is a visual artist working predominantly in experimental photography. They use cameraless and lens based methods, both ancient and modern, such as lumen printing, cyanotypes, analogue and digital photography and works in collaboration with the organisms that are the subject of their study. The work is complemented with found or made sculptural objects.
Myka’s practice is concerned with the fragility of nature. There is a fascinated with the transformative processes found in nature such as growth and decay, and the remarkable ability of organisms such as earthworms, fungi and bacteria to dramatically transform the environment.
The work is largely informed by the artist's 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). To that end the work is made in assistance with the organisms that are the subject of study. Methodologies have included the corrosion of film under compost, recording of microbiology of living and rotting matter onto film and planting of crops into and through photographic prints. The artist has also collaborated with earthworms, tracing their actions onto light sensitive paper as well as screen-printing with ink made from their excrements. These transformative production processes create a deep connection with the natural world and make visible the ephemera found in nature.
Key references have been Susan Derges, Daro Montag, Ackroyd & Harvey, herman de vries [sic] and Andy Goldsworthy as well as writers and thinkers such as Darwin, Goethe, Robert Macfarlane, Merlin Sheldrake and Peter Wohlleben to name just a few.
Biography
Myka comes from a diverse background. They trained as business management assistant in Germany, moved to London and worked her way up from warehouse jobs to operations management. After 10 years Myka escaped the office in search of a more creative life and turned to study fashion product management where they excelled and discovered the Arts. They went on to study photography at Central Saint Martins followed by Postgraduate Study in print at Royal College of Art.
Her Lunar Mare series was selected for Bloomberg New Contemporaries in 2009 and gained praise from Wolfgang Tillman: "It`s a very specific vision - it`s definitely something I have never seen before and it is an achievement."
Myka has widely exhibited throughout the UK including Groundwork Gallery, Café Park Gallery, Brighton Photo Fringe, Photofusion, Cornerhouse, APT gallery.
Internationally, they have exhibited in New York, Barcelona, Milan, Bielefeld and Cologne.
Their work and writings have appeared in several publications and Myka has contributed to seminars and talks. In addition they have run numerous workshops on art and nature and alternative photographic processes. During the pandemic Myka founded a community project which involved 150 volunteers and produced 2,000 uniforms for the NHS as well as 6,000 for carers and the community, bordering art and practical action for society.
Myka grew up in Münster, Germany and has been living in London for 30 years. Due to Brexit and family changes they currently live and work between Münster and London.