The secret life of fungi brought to life in new Brighton exhibition

Most of us think of fungi as the mushrooms we see in the woods or the ingredients on our dinner plates. But beneath the surface, a vast and largely invisible world is at work.

Fungi form intricate underground networks, spread through microscopic spores and play a vital role in ecosystems with scientists estimating that there could be around 2.5 million species on Earth, with more than two million yet to be identified. Researchers are also exploring how some fungi could help break down certain forms of plastic waste.

It is this hidden world that has inspired Deeper Than Fungi, a new free exhibition in Brighton bringing together the work of three artists – University of Brighton Fine Art graduates Tianna Horbury and Edward Leyton, alongside artist Josh Read. 

Open to the public at the Fishing Quarter Gallery from Tuesday 25 to Sunday 30 August, the exhibition explores fungi and mycelium through sculpture, drawing, film, sound, performance and mushroom spore printing.

Through their work, the artists invite visitors to see fungi differently – not just as mushrooms, but as living networks, materials and organisms that play a vital role in the world around us.

For Brighton-based artist Tianna Horbury, whose interest in fungi began while studying Fine Art at the University of Brighton, the exhibition is an opportunity to make something normally hidden feel tangible and accessible.

She said: “What fascinated me about fungi was discovering just how much there is to it beyond the mushrooms we see. When I discovered mycelium during my studies, I realised there was this whole hidden network that most people know very little about. I wanted to bring some of that world into the gallery and give people a chance to experience it for themselves. I hope the exhibition makes people curious – and that they leave seeing fungi, and perhaps nature as a whole, a little differently.”

At the heart of the exhibition is mycelium – the network of fine fungal threads that grows beneath the ground and through other materials. While mushrooms are often the most recognisable part of a fungus, mycelium is where much of the organism’s life happens.

Tianna’s work includes sculptures made using living mycelium, drawings exploring fungi with significant impacts on the world, and spore prints created by allowing mushrooms to release their spores directly onto a surface.

By bringing these normally unseen processes into the gallery, Deeper Than Fungi offers visitors a different way to think about nature – and the complex systems that exist around us without us necessarily noticing them.

The exhibition also features the work of Edward Leyton, another University of Brighton Fine Art graduate whose practice spans film, performance, illustration, sound design, photography and costume.

Edward developed his interest in live performance while studying at the University of Brighton and has since created public performance works across Sussex. His work brings a performative and cinematic perspective to the exhibition, alongside the work of Cambridge-based artist Josh Read.

Edward said: “My time at Brighton gave me the freedom to explore different ways of expressing my ideas and to discover my love of live performance, which has since become a much bigger part of my practice. Since graduating, I’ve continued to experiment across film and performance while exploring illustration, sound design, photography and costume.

"That freedom to be curious and try new things has stayed with me, and I’m looking forward to bringing that multidisciplinary approach to Deeper Than Fungi and exploring the hidden world of fungi through film, performance and sound.”

Together, the three artists offer very different interpretations of fungi, creating an exhibition that sits somewhere between art, nature and experimentation.

The project has been supported by a £500 grant from Grow Wild, the national outreach programme of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Grow Wild works across the UK to help people connect with nature, enhance biodiversity and take action in their communities, with a particular focus on people and communities who have had fewer opportunities to engage with nature.

Visitors will also be able to get hands-on with fungi through free drop-in mushroom printing workshops, where they can create their own prints using mushroom spores.

Deeper Than Fungi opens with a private view at Fishing Quarter Gallery on Monday 24 August from 7pm to 10pm and is open to the public from Tuesday 25 to Sunday 30 August, 11am to 5pm.

The free mushroom printing workshops take place on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from 12pm to 3pm.

Entry to the exhibition is free.

Deeper Than Fungi
Fishing Quarter Gallery
201 Kings Road Arches
Brighton
BN1 1NB