Amanita Mushroom, 2021

Amanita Mushroom originates from a preparatory drawing for one of Yulia Iosilzon’s paintings, centring on the mythological resonance of the fly agaric or Amanita mushroom — a fungus long associated with magic, transformation and altered states.

Across folklore and fable, the Amanita mushroom appears as both enchantment and warning. In Iosilzon’s visual universe, it becomes a recurring emblem: a portal between reality and fantasy, excess and ritual. The work reflects her enduring fascination with stories that are told, retold and reshaped, narratives that proliferate through memory and imagination.

Rendered with fluid, calligraphic line and bold, saturated colour, the image carries the sensuous charge characteristic of Yulia Iosilzon’s paintings. Symbolic forms repeat and interlace, creating a composition that feels both immediate and allegorical. Hedonism and escapism surface in the vibrancy of the palette, yet beneath it lies a deeper meditation on transformation and desire.

In risograph printing, each colour is printed as a separate pass through a risograph machine — a stencil-based duplicator that presses organic soy inks into the paper. Risograph inks are naturally vibrant — they are renowned for their vivid colours and evident textures. The inks are transparent so layers build to create more colours. Slight shifts in registration and a soft grain make every impression subtly unique.

Amanita Mushroom is printed on Olin natural white 170gsm, an uncoated, FSC-certified stock whose gentle warmth lets the colours glow. The edition is strictly limited to 100 and will never be reprinted. All prints were produced at the London Centre for Book Arts.