Michael Stuart Ani

I first met Michael Stuart Ani at the Spirit Plant Medicine Conference at the University of British Columbia in 2019. His lecture did not follow an academic structure, but was full of song, and movement and the shifting of his shape. Through this, he conveyed things about plant medicine that would likely never find their full resonance in just words. I reached out to him and let him know that I would like to photograph him for a project that I was developing with dancers, specifically dancers who made a bridge between the seen and the unseen. About 6 months after the conference, Michael and I happened to be in Oaxaca at the same time. I went to San Agustin, Etla, to meet him and his wife, Fern. We make some portraits, discussed the project, and decided to meet the following week in Teotitlán del Valle. Here is a little series from our time together.

I look forward to working with Michael again as soon as our paths are given the chance to cross, hopefully in Teotitlán del Valle. If you are interested in his work I would recommend starting with this video, “Ghost Dance, Talking Plants & "Desheto" the Sacred Mushrooms of Oaxaca, Mexico”, or by visiting his website at https://michaelstuartani.com/https://michaelstuartani.com/.