KRYPTOGAME #4

The word Kryptogame (or cryptogam in English) comes from the Greek kryptos (“hidden”) and gameein (“to marry”) and means “to reproduce in hiding”. In the scientific world, the term is not considered taxonomically coherent; in German, the mosses, lichens, algae, and fungi that Grár photographs are referred to formally as niedere Pflanzen (“lower plants”). Grár chose to use the term Kryptogame, however, as a more poetic and less hierarchical variant.

Grár says, “Doesn’t the word Kryptogame remind you of the superhero universe? That’s what these organisms are for me. They were the first organisms to have populated the earth and created complex biotic communities. They often have no roots and reproduce by spores or other methods, and can live on for years without water. Their healing properties have been long researched in labs so that they can be used by humans – but their complexity has kept them from being capitalized upon (except for algae, perhaps). The more I learn about them, the more I realize how little I know about them, as they seem to constantly manifest super powers.”

- Format/Paper: DIN A6 (10.5 x 14.8cm), 265g card board with glossy UV-coating.
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