Liu Yujia (lives and works in Beijing) is a visual artist who places video documentation at the core of her research. In her works, the filmic language takes the form of a logbook through which the artist explores, with an analytical and contemplative gaze, the territories she traverses during her travels across Asia. What draws Liu Yujia’s attention is not so much the human presence as the meticulous observation of the natural ecosystem—its invisible rhythms and vital dynamics.
In the short film Mushrooms, the artist documents the life of the boreal forests of northeastern Asia. Through the use of a macro lens, Liu Yujia penetrates the undergrowth, transforming an apparently minimal and marginal universe into a vast and intricate forest. The video thus becomes a journey in which nature itself is the true protagonist: the passage of time, the variations in light, and the ambient sounds—the song of birds, the rustling of leaves in the wind, the gurgling of water, the buzzing of insects—combine to create a visual and sonic texture that conveys the harmony of the natural world.
Light, a central element in the artist’s language, shapes and moulds the environment, gradually revealing the complexity of its forms. The investigative method adopted by the artist approaches that of scientific observation: each element is examined with almost microscopic precision, and every detail, even the most imperceptible, is recorded with accuracy. The result is an analytical documentary on the biotic community of the Asian region—a true symphony of the living, in which every organism, from the largest to the tiniest, contributes to a perfect yet fragile balance.
In the frame in question, a small red-capped mushroom, bent upon itself, occupies the centre of the image. The vivid colour of its surface stands out against the earthy background of greens and browns. The skilful use of optical scale allows every minute variation to be perceived. A small insect slowly climbs over it. The tiny fungal specimen appears to secrete a minuscule drop of liquid, which the lens captures at the precise instant it detaches from the cap—crystallised between gravity and light.
In this suspended moment, Liu Yujia manages to encapsulate the very essence of her research: the poetic revelation of detail and the astonishing beauty of the infinitely small.

Liu Yujia, Mushrooms
Video still
Single channel 4K film Color, stereo sound
13′ 14″ 2023 5+2AP

12/11/25