Mutual Benefits

In Mutual Benefits, an exhibition created specifically for the Rialto 6 space, Diana Policarpo delves into two enigmatic subjects — the human mind and mycelium — investigating their intricate connections to language and the effects of excessive extraction and synthesis of medicinal resources within fragile ecosystems. This exploration unfolds in an immersive landscape where bodies—human, more-than-human, and their remnants — merge in a complex web of mutual interference. Central to this narrative is the eerie vitality of a carcass: Ophiocordyceps sinensis, a parasitic fungus that zombifies its host, turning ghost moth caterpillars into vessels for its own survival.