Series Matter: Mushrooms features paintings inspired by artist Monika Abbott's childhood experiences mushroom gathering in the Czech Republic. After collecting these beautiful and strangely formed specimens from the woods of Connecticut, where she lives, Abbott layers their intricate structures on two sides of mylar. Her paintings become an intriguing labyrinthine image capturing both the uniqueness of each individual mushroom and its spongy, fungal texture. Through this series she is, “creating islands of clarity, order and comprehensibility within the surrounding chaos of today’s world.” Abbott has exhibited at the Kuks Castle in the Czech Republic; International Images, Pittsburgh, PA; Artsforum Gallery, New York, NY and at the Metropolitan Museum Staff Show, New York, NY.