Some works highlight hopeful collaborations between people and the natural world, while others emphasise the irreversible damage already done by human intervention. A number of pieces draw on new technologies and partnerships with scientists, giving form and meaning to fresh ideas and perspectives. Expect to be surprised, moved and inspired by art that raises urgent questions about our shared future, our place in the world, and what we can learn from the resilience of nature.

The mushroom at the end of the world

In her book The mushroom at the end of the world, anthropologist Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing describes how, following the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, a matsutake mushroom – a species that thrives in disturbed landscapes – emerged as the first sign of life. Tsing traces the journey of this rare fungus; from foragers in Oregon to gourmets in Japan. Their stories reveal how the history and ecology of the matsutake are bound up with the fragile lives of people. Through these accounts, Tsing explores what it means for humanity to live within a nature disrupted by our own actions; a concept that underpins this exhibition.

Diana Scherer - Apical #09

Suzette Bousema - Super Organism

Zeger Reyers - Volumes of Forgiveness 5

Driessens & Verstappen - E-volved Cultures

Suzette Bousema - Super Organism

Persijn Broersen & Margit Lukács - Forest on Location

Otobong Nkanga - Alterscapes: Playground

Maartje Korstanje - Untitled (transformer)

VorigeVolgende

In the exhibition

The mushroom at the end of the world unfolds across CODA Museum’s two largest galleries, the main hall and the Noordzaal (North gallery), combined into a single, immersive experience. Highlights include a unique installation of multiple (video) works by artist duo Broersen & Lukács – never before shown together in the Netherlands – as well as spectacular large-scale pieces such as a seven-metre-high ‘root carpet’ by Diana Scherer, a monumental software installation by Driessens & Verstappen, and works by Suzette Bousema incorporating scent and sound. Special loans from internationally renowned artist Otobong Nkanga are also featured, including an eight-metre-wide tapestry.

Participating artists

Maartje Korstanje, Diana Scherer, Zeger Reyers, Driessens & Verstappen, Margit Lukács & Persijn Broersen, Suzette Bousema, Otobong Nkanga.

FUNGI. Anarchist designers at the Nieuwe Instituut

Nieuwe Instituut, the Dutch national museum for architecture, design and digital culture, presents FUNGI. Anarchist designers from 21 November 2025 to 9 August 2026.This new exhibition has been curated by Anna Tsing whose influential book The mushroom at the end of the world has inspired countless thinkers, makers, activists and designers, and designer Feifei Zhou (terriStories). With FUNGI. Anarchist designers, an exhibition at the intersection of science, art and design, the Nieuwe Instituut looks beyond the traditional boundaries of design disciplines, asking ‘What can we learn from non-human life?’ Rather than a conventional design exhibition, FUNGI. Anarchist designers offers an experimental space that invites us to think, live and design differently. The exhibition also forms a compelling counterpart to The mushroom at the end of the world at CODA Museum.

FUNGI. Anarchist designers | Nieuwe Instituut, Museumpark 25, Rotterdam

This exhibition has been made possible with the support of the Mondriaan Fund.