Mirko Baselgia works with a variety of mediums and materials, and looks deeply into the dynamics and structures that characterise our world in order to highlight the interdependent relationships that bind all living organisms to each other and to their environment. Notions of territory, natural resources and impermanence are at the heart of his artistic practice. With his subtle investigations of materiality, the multi-sensory experience of art plays a central role in many of his creations. His works explore and suggest new possibilities for shaping the way we interact with our environment and other forms of lives. This exhibition includes a new set of paintings and an older drawing from the Coprinus Comatus project, which currently consists of four series and is still ongoing. The artist's fascination with the Coprinus comatus is at the origin of this project. This common fungus, also known as the 'ink cap', uses an unusual method to distribute its spores. In a process of self-digestion - autolysis - its cap and gills dissolve and turn into a black, slimy ink in order to spread the spores. Self-destruction here acquires an unexpectedly positive meaning, allowing the next generation to grow. Intrigued by this particular phenomenon, the artist went to look for these mushrooms in the meadows.

For the creation of the first series, he first made drawings on the spot and then picked the mushrooms to extract the ink following an ancient recipe. Made with pencil and fungal ink, the drawing on display, Autolysis - Coprinus Comatus (2018), is part of this series and is an analogue enlargement of an original sketch. The fungi are depicted in their natural environment to emphasise the strong connection between these organisms and their surroundings. ( … )