Hugo Tillman

Hugo Tillman was born in London England and grew up in New York, United States. He is a British photographer who takes the position of multi special feminist working towards a Mycoptopia. Tillman has an artistic practice that focuses primarily on fungi, specifically mycelium. For the past 3 years, Tillman has dedicated his enquiry into fungi and psychonautics. His studio practice spans from conducting experiments on the effects of specific species of mushrooms on the human focusing on the space where real time brain imaging crosses the line from medical to art, growing mushrooms and making a lexicon of 35mm photographic “sketches” of his specimens. In late 2020, Tillman modified an 8x10 camera to be able to take ultra-close-up images of mycelium, technically opening up a visual experience undocumented previously at this scale. Tillman is deeply interested in how we humans can learn from and work with fungi to save ourselves and the planet.

The work being presented here is the first Tillman has shown in 7 years since Betwixt and Between in 2014, a series of photographs taken in Natural History, Scientific and ethnographic museums around Europe.

Before dropping out of the Doctoral program at the Ruskin School of Art, Tillman forged a great friendship with Mariah Lookman and Muhanned Cader. Both Mariah and Muhanned inspired Tillman with their incredible intellect and talents. Tillman was made aware of the possibility of micro-organisms becoming fine art through Mariah’s painting and her journey with cancer. Having left the Ruskin, Tillman continued his research which resulted in collaborations with weavers throughout the Indonesian archipelago over a period of about 5 years as well as a long collaboration with, now deceased, Slamet Gundono with a Wayang project in Java.

For Tonight No Poetry Will Serve Tillman offers silver gelatine photographs. They are to be used as a tool for day-dreaming and mind walking. They are for contemplating the interconnectivity between all things. They can be used like Mandalas. They are therapeutic. They are images of Trametes versicolor (L:Fr.) Pilot. Yun Zhi or Turkey Tail mycelium and Hericium erinaceus Yamabushi-take (Japanese for Mountain Priest) Lion’s Mane mycelium. The PSK found in Turkey Tail helps with cancer and is the active ingredient in the cancer drug Krestin. In “Growing Gourmet Medicinal Mushrooms,” Mr. Mushroom himself, Paul Stamets states, writes about Lion’s Mane stating that “Ingestion of this mushroom is said to have a remarkable effect in extending the life of cancer ridden patients. Ying (1987) reports that pills of this mushroom are used in the treatment of gastric cancer and esophageal carcinoma.”

Hugo Tillman lives and works in London, UK.

Now, it is time to stop speaking from the third person and enter the first. I hope that this work will help the Cancer Fund, Galle. They have helped my dear friend Mariah, and for that alone, we should all help them.