Phantasmaphile

NYC Art Week Highlights Part 3!

Don't know how I managed to miss this one, but you definitely shouldn't if you're heading to the fairs this weekend.  It's two of my favorite occultic artists in one booth, courtesy of Stephen Romano Gallery:

WILLIAM MORTENSEN AND DARCILIO LIMA AT SCOPE:

Darcilio Lima

Stephen Romano Gallery presents William Mortensen and Darcilio Lima at SCOPE

March 2-5, 2017

Metropolitan Pavilion

125 West 18th St

New York, NY 10011

 

There's also a great interview with Romano about the show here.  Been missing his gallery space, so it's great to hear he's exhibiting at the fair, and on the hunt for a new Manhattan location as well.  Watch this space!

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NYC Art Week Highlights Part 2!

A few more fantastic items of note for your big apple art ingestion this week. (Once again, all text below images taken direct from press releases):

FICTIVE UNIVERSE GROUP SHOW at SPRING/BREAK:

Lorenzo De Los Angeles

Fictive Universe at SPRING/BREAK Art Show
Curated by Kari Adelaide + Max Razdow, Room 2317
Heidi Lau, Ann Lislegaard, Lorenzo De Los Angeles, Jeremy Olson, Max Razdow + Jamie Zigelbaum

This exhibition aims to use science fiction as a launching ground for investigations of the ineffable. The sculptures of Heidi Lau have been described as modes of being and growth formations that allow for survival but on a marvelously fragile basis, and Lorenzo De Los Angeles' drawings likewise use a mechanism of layering lines and symbol to envision a tenuous possibility of being. Jeremy Olson's paintings and miniature sculptures develop a halting future space which is a portal into the tactility of self and the unknowable. Max Razdow and Jamie Zigelbaum's collaborative science fiction novella "I We" dissolves individuation and uses the future as a metaphor for the lushness of potential incarnate experience. Ann Lislegaard's sculpture "The Flower From Weena," depicting a future artifact out of H.G. Wells' The Time Machine, presents the stretch of future-vision in a singular concrete form.

4 Times Square (enter on 43rd Street between 6th and 7th Ave)
Preview Day: February 28
11am — 5 pm Collector’s Preview
3 pm — 5 pm Press Conference & Preview
5 pm — 9 pm Vernissage Opening (opening reception guest pass required at
http://www.springbreakartshow.com/visit/ )

Daily hours: March 1-6, 11am-6pm

 

SCOTT TRELEAVEN AT INDEPENDENT NEW YORK:

INVISIBLE-EXPORTS
at
INDEPENDENT NEW YORK

Anne Doran
Scott Treleaven

March 2-5, 2017

* * *

SPRING STUDIOS
50 Varick Street
New York, NY 10013

 

PRIVATE VIEWING
Thursday March 2
12–8 PM 
(by invitation only)

 

PUBLIC HOURS
Friday March 3
Saturday March 4
12–7 PM 

Sunday March 5
12–6 PM

 

PANOS TSAGARIS AT THE ARMORY SHOW:

Panos Tsagaris

Armory Show in NY at the booth of Kalfayan Gallery (Pier 94, Booth # 817)

March 2-5, 2017

ALTERNATIVE MYTHS: CONVERSATION WITH JESSE BRANSFORD AND DOMINIC SHEPHERD:

 

Jesse Bransford "Circle to the Four Corners (Kali, Hecate, Ishtar, Lilith)" 2017

 

VOLTA NY is thrilled to announce the 2017 programming for The VOLTA Salon with artnet, the third iteration of this partnership series. For this edition, artnet considers salient contemporary topics and concerns — from higher education in the arts to historical safe spaces — that will encourage discourse and enliven artist projects at the fair.

artnet — the leading online destination to research, buy, and sell art — curates a series of salient topics for conversation at VOLTA NY. Invited industry professionals from all aspects of the art world engage the audience in a salon-style discussion program.

In association with GalleryLOG.

FRIDAY, MARCH 3, 1:00 – 2:30 PM

ALTERNATIVE MYTHS
Fascism relies on the ideological narcissism of myth, but then the mythical can also resist rising nationalism. Professor-artists and Black Mirror Network co-coordinators Jesse Bransford and Dominic Shepherd (exhibiting at VOLTA NY with CHARLIE SMITH LONDON) explore this magical potential.

Guests: Jesse Bransford (artist and associate professor, NYU Steinhardt), Dominic Shepherd (artist and associate professor, Arts University of Bournemouth)

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NYC Art Week Highlights!

Spring fever has hit the NYC art world again, with loads of delectable shows up at the fairs this week.  Here are a few I'm particularly looking forward to.  (All text below images taken direct from press releases):

SEASON OF THE WITCH GROUP SHOW AT SPRING/BREAK:

Sarah Potter is pleased to present “Season of the Witch,” a group exhibition of new work at SPRING/BREAK Art Show during Armory Arts Week in New York City.

The sixth edition of SPRING/BREAK Art Show will take place in the former corporate offices located at 4 Times Square with Ms. Potter’s curatorial project in room #32 on the 23rd floor of the building.

The fair will run from Wednesday, March 1 to Monday, March 6 with a preview and Vernissage on Tuesday, February 28. This exhibition will mark the first in a series of events Ms. Potter has planned for 2017 which she has deemed as the “Season of the Witch.”

“Season of the Witch” reflects on the ways artists engage in ritual to reveal their deeply personal beliefs and spirituality through the creation of their artwork. The potent archetype of “the witch” is utilized here to represent a creator whose power comes from within. Like modern day shamans, artists are the ultimate magicians who are able to turn the intangible (their inner thoughts and inspirations) into the tangible (their artwork); the immaterial magically materializes. Working intuitively while referencing the powerful language of symbols, all of the artists in this exhibition turn art making into a modern day magical practice.

Six artists will be featured in the show: Evie Falci, Lala Abaddon, Heather Gabel, Astral Eyes, Hilary White, and Jesse Bransford.

Working in a vibrant color palette and a variety of materials, Hilary White’s sculptural wall pieces act as portals to another realm of consciousness.  Lala Abaddon’s woven photographs straddle the digital and analog realms revealing a pixelated dreamscape of her deeply personal inner world.  Evie Falci transforms the mundane materials of denim, pleather, rhinestones, and metal studs into the divine by creating intricate mandalas referencing sacred geometry and ancient symbology.  Utilizing the medium of collage, both Astral Eyes and Heather Gabel create powerful visual alchemy from collected imagery to reveal the surreal in their work.  Jesse Bransford explores the relationship between art and magic through his practice and will charge the space with intention through the creation of a site-specific installation in the room which will remain on view for the duration of the exhibition.

 

MAX RAZDOW'S METROPOLIS DRAWINGS AT VOLTA NY:

Max Razdow / METROPOLIS DRAWINGS
VOLTA NY

with
Galerie Jan Dhaese
Booth D18
Pier 90, 
W. 50th St. at 12th Av.
New York, NY 10019

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1
Preview: 5-7 pm
Public Vernissage: 7-10 pm

THURSDAY – SATURDAY, MARCH 2 – 4
12 – 8 pm

SUNDAY, MARCH 5
12 – 5 pm

Max Razdow’s  Metropolis Drawings collect the history and geography of a city in becoming, rendered from the bones of abstraction with mixed mediums, pen and ink. The works become a corollary for present and future states, ranging from the mural scale Metropolis to dozens of small ink drawings, sketches and notes. The drawings trace the wax and wane of a fictive city in ages from its founding forward, building a world reverberating through time and unfolding itself to meet monads of urgency and grace. Characters, creatures and spatial components of the Metropolis have narrative qualities, using epic, fantasy laden textual elements to collect an unfixed tale. Considering these as singular and obtuse works is an important antidote to the idea that these are simply fantasy illustrations. They are mutable elements that are activated by storytelling (even generative of it). Razdow’s works linger as poetic attributions to an untold story* – one bridging metaphysical, mystical and experiential qualities that are reflective of the world we know.

In the Metropolis, we are met with ritual geographies, elemental forges, miscast rulers, dueling pantheons of ulterior worlds, heroes (human, bestial and divine), and maps attempting to trace their interplay. The epic origination stories, rebellions and turmoil hinted at in the works reveal Razdow’s way of engaging with both classic myths and contemporary realities. Aspects include the rise of emptiness and control in some ages of the Metropolis, and we can glimpse hope in the mirror of individuals seeking liminal, supernatural forces and creatures evolved from enraptured nature. A confluence of radical empathy and resolve emerge as themes for protagonists: a centaur woman born from a dolphin to work subversive magic and wield power, a necromancer who puts down his tools to seek clarity in distant mountains. Despite the rhythm of the Metropolis’ rises and falls, its geography remains a mutable monument. Its walls shift with time but stand on strong foundations: a memorial engine of the archetypal past setting possibilities for future ages.

*In addition to the drawings, a ~15,000 word text has been prepared for the show, which will be available in a short edition with hand painted covers.

 

LAUREN FENSTERSTOCK'S SCRYING SOLO SHOW AT VOLTA NY:

Claire Oliver is pleased to announce the gallery’s participation at the 2017 edition of Volta NY, with Scrying, a solo booth of new mixed media sculpture by Portland-based artist Lauren Fensterstock. The artist’s newest works combine chromed and rubberized shell work with mouth blown and cold worked glass, conceptually questioning the current “selfie” obsession and a possible link between this and past social obsessions.

VOLTA NY

THE INVITATIONAL SOLO PROJECT FAIR FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
March 1-5, 2017 - Pier 90

 

EL GATO CHIMNEY'S NEW WORK AT SCOPE:

SCOPE New York
Antonio Colombo Arte Contemporanea
Booth #022

March 2: platinum first view 3 - 6 PM | VIP preview 6 - 9 PM
March 3 - 4: 11 AM - 8 PM
March 5: 11 AM - 7 PM

Metropolitan Pavilion
125 W 18th St
New York

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Michelle Anderst

Michelle Anderst  "Violaceous Queen"

I haven't had the time to tend to this blog as much as I'd like lately.  It's the byproduct of too many projects and commitments, which is equal parts happy and hard.  This year has started off with a bang, including a trip to Boston where I co-curated and presented at an occult film festival at The Brattle, and a trip to LA where I got to attend the MAKERS Conference - and managed to sneak in a visit to the Getty Center's astounding "Art of Alchemy" show as a gilded cherry on top. 

I also had a birthday on Tuesday, and opted to keep things very low key this year, spending time here in town with my feller and my family.  Birthdays always make me reflective, and two messages have come through very strongly this year.  One is to keep as close to joy as possible.  To stuff as much beauty and love into my life as I am able, and to keep saying yes to wonderful experiences that are nourishing and new.  The other is sort of the opposite, I guess, which is to pace myself!  To take more breaks, to prioritize my health and self-care, to be less apologetic about my introvert batteries which need consistent recharging.  I struggle with finding balance between these two tendencies, but I think there's space in between, wherein I trust my gut more, say no to things which drain me even if they sound like "good opportunities," and allow myself time to indulge in pure and peaceful pleasure.

This painting by Michelle Anderst helps me on both fronts.  It fuels me with its prismatic magic, especially its rich, purple energy.  And it inspires me to slow down, and contemplate all of its strange coded messages about organic growth, natural royalty, and the crystalline connections between all things.  May we all be violaceous queens from here on out!

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"Dead of Winter: Cinema of the Occult" festival at The Brattle this weekend!

I am *thrilled* to announce "Dead of Winter: Cinema of the Occult," a film festival I co-curated with magickally-minded writers, Peter Bebergal & Janaka Stucky, happening at Boston's premiere art house cinema, The Brattle.  It starts this Friday and goes through Feb 2nd, and will feature some of my all-time favorite witchly movies.

Still from "The Love Witch" (2016)

I'll be there in person this weekend as part of 2 events (and lingering to watch some films, too): 

This Friday, Jan 27th at 7pm: A Cinema of the Occult panel with Peter and Janaka to kick off the festival

&

This Saturday, Jan 28th at 7pm: My presentation, "What Is A Witch: Female Magic and Transgression in Pictures"

Details about the festival and events:

Dead of Winter: Cinema of the Occult, Friday, January 27 - Thursday, February 2, 2017

The Brattle is excited to team-up with three noted authors to co-curate this series of magical movies: Peter Bebergal, Pam Grossman, and Janaka Stucky. Each will contribute their own introductions and illuminations for films during the series and we kick off the program with a panel featuring a conversation between the three on Friday, Jan 27. This series explores images of the occult in cinema - mostly dealing with the Western traditions of witchcraft and ritual magic - from 1950s (NIGHT OF THE DEMON, BELL BOOK & CANDLE) to today (THE WITCH, THE LOVE WITCH).  A full listing of all of the films can be found here.

Peter Bebergal is the author of Season of the Witch: How the Occult Saved Rock and Roll and the forthcoming Strange Frequencies.

Pam Grossman is an independent curator, writer, and teacher of magical practice and history. She is the creator of Phantasmaphile.com and the author of the illuminated manifesto, What Is A Witch.

Janaka Stucky is an American poet, performer, and publisher. He is the founding editor of the independent publisher Black Ocean and the author of the full-length poetry collection, The Truth Is We Are Perfect.

Tickets for all events and films available here.

And here are some nice write-ups about it all in the Boston Globe and on The Arts Fuse.

Do join us!

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Katerina Lanfranco

Katerina Lanfranco "Space Gem Meteorite" 2008

I am loving this grotto series by Katerina Lanfranco.  I can't resist those murky pastels, and that clever and the circling-the-square border.  A bit of beauty on a Friday.

New Fulgur Books

Fulgur is currently experiencing a glorious renaissance, with two esoteric tomes hot off the press and another two announced.  As some readers know, I have collaborated with them on various projects including Abraxas Journal, and I'm happy to say that I've recently stepped into a General Editor role there.  That said, I can take zero credit for any of the below, as they are all projects overseen by the masterful Founder and Managing Director, Robert Ansell.

So onto the books.

First up is Michael Bertiaux' massive monograph, Ontological Graffiti:

Ontological Graffiti

Michael Bertiaux

Ontological Graffiti is Michael Bertiaux’s magnum opus. More than 40 years in development and a decade in production, this work now stands at over 470 pages and is without doubt his most substantial and important book yet.

Ontological Graffiti provides for us a vibrant vudutronic, spiritualist, art-grimoire. It presents the strange narrative of certain magical work conducted at the infamous ‘Hyde Park Lodge’ in Chicago during the period 1965-1975. The lodge was a ‘ritual collective of occult initiates’ who would meet monthly under the directorship of Dr. Hector-Francois Jean Main.

Ontological Graffiti contains the séances, lecture notes and descriptive texts for this intense period. This material accompanies the series of large acrylic magical paintings produced by Bertiaux, who was assigned to capture through his art the messages and images of various ‘transcendental consciousnesses’ which manifested during the course of their workings. The Lodge later discovered that rituals conducted using these paintings deepened the connection with the spirits, Loa, and ‘Other Minds’. In addition, the book also offers the reader countless drawings, collages and ‘passeports for contacting and travelling within the spirit realms.’

And a gobsmacking deluxe edition was just announced this week.

Next is the 2nd volume of Black Mirror, a journal that examines the connection nodes between art and ritual.  The theme of this book is Embodiment, and it features writings by such luminaries as Susan L. Aberth, Natan Alexander, and Deanna Petherbridge:

Black Mirror 1 – embodiment

Various contributors

Black Mirror is a peer-reviewed series that seeks to examine ways in which the occult and the esoteric have been at the heart of art practice now and throughout the modernist period. It is produced by a group of artists and researchers and much of the work examined will be practice-led. Hence this volume includes both essays on contemporary and modernist work, and new works by artists. Black Mirror 1 – embodiment is the second installation within the Black Mirror series of publications.

In this volume we explore the philosophy and practice of embodiment. Throughout the twentieth century both occult practitioners and artists explored the effects of the patriarchal monotheistic heritage that divorced the mind from the body, privileging the intellect as spiritual and negating and subjugating the corporeal. The conjunction of heterodox spiritualities, feminism and green philosophies in the 1980s gave rise to art and thinking that sought to heal the split between mind and body, to find new respect for the body and the physical world, and to explore the spiritual through the corporeal. Mindful of these early pioneers, in this volume we seek to broaden ideas surrounding magic, art and embodiment.

CONTENTS
Volume 1 – embodiment

Introduction, Judith Noble, Dominic Shepherd and Jesse Bransford
Ingestion and Descent: The Chthonic Realms of Leonora Carrington, Susan L. Aberth
The Dark Mark: Tattoo as Ritual of Transformation, Natan Alexander
The Empress, 2015 Lindsey Bull
Self-Obliteration through Self-Love, David Burrows
The Sitters, Tom Butler
Etruscan Monochromes, Gean Moreno
Transformation of the Everyday Material Magic in Jan Švankmajer’s Art and Films, Kristoffer Noheden
Le Bal: Bewitching the Classical Body, Katerina Pantelides
Abject Bodies and Places of Enchantment, Deanna Petherbridge
Embodying the Androgyne: Psychoanalysis and Alchemical Desire in Max Ernst’s Men Shall Know Nothing of This (1923), Daniel Zamani

 

Available for pre-order is a Under the Eye: A Brief History of Fulgur, in honor of the publishing house's 25th anniversary:

Under the Eye: A Brief History of FULGUR

edited by Robert Ansell

On August 9th, 1992, FULGUR was born. Our founding principles were simple; to revive and develop Aleister Crowley’s philosophy of the book as a talismanic object; to champion quality and longevity in book design, and moreover, to celebrate and promote magical artists such as Austin Osman Spare. In the early days, some of these ideas were very much against the occult zeitgeist, which was often pre-occupied with the fast and cheap dissemination of information. Our first decade was consequently something of a struggle, but over time support began to grow and the founding principles took root. Today, the idea that the book itself can be an expression of magical intent has found a new generation of enthusiasts.

To celebrate our birthday this book briefly discusses the strange circumstances surrounding the formation of the company, offers context for our development, and provides a full bibliography of our titles from 1992-2012. With rare photographs and anecdotes, this is sure to be an essential companion for those interested in the contemporary revival in occult publishing.

Introduction – Clive Harper
Prolegomena – Gavin Semple
Preface – Robert Ansell

Primary Works
Secondary Works
Ephemera

Appendices

Astropoeia – Austin Coppick.

The Witches’ Sabbath. A Publisher’s Precis – Ansell (1992).

The Valley of Fear. Transcript of launch night speech, London (Ansell, 2008).

Vudu Cartography. Transcript of launch night speech, Chicago (Bertiaux, 2010).

Making the Book Talismanic. An Interview with BoingBoing (Ansell, 2012).

 

And finally, I am levitating with excitement about the forthcoming Decad of Intelligence by undersung artist mage, Ithell Colquhoun:

The Decad of Intelligence is an important and poetic work that Colquhoun developed in the 1970s. It is based on the list of sephirotic intelligences set out in the Sepher Yetzirah. Originally, it was conceived to be a small book of ten enamel pieces, each depicting a different sephira and accompanied by a description of their properties. Colquhoun intended this work to be used as a guide to contemplation for understanding the deep nature of each of the sephiroth, both in isolation and in completeness. Working with the National Trust, the Tate and the Estate of Ithell Colquhoun, we have reunited these individual elements to reform the work as the artist originally envisaged it.

All of these details and more can be found on the Fulgur site here.  What a wonderful way to kick of the new year!

 

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Adam Dix

Adam Dix "Coven" 2013

Happy New Year, Phantasmaphiles.  2016 was an intense one: so much heartbreak, but so much beauty as well.  It was marked by some of my biggest creative triumphs (my "Language of the Birds: Occult and Art" exhibition; the 2nd Occult Humanities Conference at NYU; the publication of my comic book, "What Is A Witch.")  It was also marred by malady and tragedy, both personally and, in my opinion, nationally.

So now we regroup.  We count our blessings.  We make new commitments. 

If there's one thing that's coming clear to me, it's that we need one another, and that no meaningful change can happen in a vacuum.  I'm thinking about ways to reach out, reconnect, and rekindle in communities large and small. 

Adam Dix's magnificent work is a recent discovery for me, and this painting, "Coven," feels like the right one to share today.  Here's wishing you powerful, positive shifts this year.  May you find your own coven, in any shape and of any name.  And may we all make good magick together in 2017 and beyond.

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Sue Williams A'Court

Sue Williams A'Court  "Liminal Space 1"

Happy Solstice, everyone.  I don't know about you, but right now I am longing for peace.  It's been a challenging year on so many levels, and holiday madness on top of all of it is feeling like a no-go for me.  Last night I lit some candles and tried to recenter.  To focus on generating more compassion, more strength, and, please please, a bit of peace.

Sue Williams A'Court's work is really fitting the bill for me today.  It is so very quiet, winter paletted, and elegant.  Her landscapes have a masterful intricacy to them, but the floating, dense emblems rendered on top make the pieces feel like objects for focus and meditation.  Her artist's statement says

"...The form, composition and materiality are meticulously constructed to summon a state of mind rather than a specific location. Central to the work is an exploration of the human desire for solace in 'numinous' experience within a reductionist secular context..."

And that really resonates with me.  I hope during this longest night of the year, you have your own moment of numinous solace.  Wishing you light, gentleness, and beauty this holiday season.

Mithras Candle

Holiday season is here, so I thought it worth mentioning that Mithras Candle is the official candle of Phantasmaphile for several reasons:

1. They do everything in small batches with locally sourced beeswax
2. They create stunning, Tolkienesque hand-dripped pillars, in addition to smooth and forthcoming pyramid styles
3. They are run by two of the loveliest humans, Ben & Andrea, based out of Philly
4. Their brand is stylish and magickal as all get-out.

Order yours today and have a Solstice with the mostest!

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"Of Shadows: One Hundred Objects from the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic" book

One of the great aches of my life is that I still have yet to visit the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Boscastle.  Lucky for me, they have provided us with the next best thing via a beautiful new book, "Of Shadows: One Hundred Objects from the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic."  It contains not only the exquisite photographs courtesy of Sara Hannant, but writing by museum director, Simon Costin, and a preface by the esteemed magic historian, Ronald Hutton.  Each image is also accompanied by full written descriptions for added context.

Strange Attractor Press has done a marvelous job in crafting the book as well, and has released three editions which include a hardback special edition, standard hardback and paperback.  It is also satisfyingly square-shaped, full-color, and impreccably designed, making it a rather totemic object unto itself. 

More details:

Of Shadows

One Hundred Objects from The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic

By Sarah Hannant and Simon Costin 

225 x 225 mm, 240pp
Over 120 images in colour & BW.
Available in pb, limited hb and Special editions.
£25/£35/£50

One hundred objects, exuding magic and mystery, emerge from the darkness of Cornwall’s much-loved Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in this book of haunting photographs.

Artist and photographer Sara Hannant has captured the very essence of these carefully-selected artifacts, including wax dolls, wands, statues, daggers, pendants, robes and amulets. Each striking image tells its own vivid tale of belief and ceremonial practice.

Accompanying the photographs are informative texts from Sara Hannant and Museum director Simon Costin, as well as an illuminating introduction by the leading historian of British witchcraft and magic, Ronald Hutton.

Sara’s pictures are rites of evocation… a radically new and exciting approach to the work of representing the past to the present.  ~ Ronald Hutton

Available in three editions – Hardback Special Edition, Standard Hardback and Paperback.

Do order yours here.  It makes a dark and lovely gift for the holiday season and beyond.

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Álvaro Barrios show!

Álvaro Barrios "Portrait of the Artist as a Medium" 1976-2013

I've been sharing a lot of my post-election blues and actions on social media, so I'll not address them here for the time being other than to say that it's been an excruciating several days.  Very grateful to have the bright spot of Álvaro Barrios' retrospective, "Portrait of the Artist as a Medium," to celebrate, via its opening reception at Henrique Faria Fine Art tonight.  And doubly happy that I was able to contribute in some small way, by penning the catalog essay for the exhibition. 

Barrios has been been exploring themes of spirituality, surrealism, and creation through his art for decades in his Colombian homeland.  Both meeting him in person and to getting to dialog with his work through my writing are rare opportunities that I don't take lightly.  Do join us if you can this evening.  And if not, make sure you see this magnificent show, which will be up through January 14th.

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Happy 11 Years, Phantasmaphiles!

Remedios Varo "Witch Going to the Sabbath" 1957

Yes, this day marks the 11th anniversary of this strange little corner of the interhaus!  (All the more special as 11 is my lucky number, so feeling rather auspicious).

It's been an incredible, Phantasmaphilic year indeed, with highlights including my "Language of the Birds: Occult and Art" exhibition, the 2nd Occult Humanities Conference at NYU, the publication of my "What Is A Witch" comic book with Tin Can Forest, and numerous other events and adventures you've read about on here.

It's also Samhain season, and I was very happy to kick it off yesterday by talking about (what else) witches on Huffington Post Live.  You can watch the segment here, if you so desire.

Thank you very much for enabling my wyrd ways for these past 11 years.  I'm grateful as ever for the support, friendship, opportunities, and great kindness you have all helped usher into my life.  And I wish you much magick and endless blessings today, and always.

Autumn Witchery

Alice Austen dressed as a witch, courtesy of Alice Austen House

'Tis the season for folks like us, and I've got two tasty events I'll be taking part in to celebrate this most witchly time of year.

First up is Ghostly Intimations, an evening of spooky lectures at Staten Island's Fort Tompkins, co-sponsored by the Alice Austen House and the Morbid Anatomy Museum, and happening this Saturday the 29th.  I'll be giving an abridged version of my "Witch Pictures: Female Magic and Transgression" presentation.  Other speakers include Harold Schechter, Corinne May Botz, and Ronni Thomas, and there will be a cocktail party at the Alice Austen House afterwards.  Your favorite psychic phenomena photographer and mine, Shannon Taggart, has pulled this all together, so it's going to be an excellent evening no doubt! Details:

Ghostly Intimations

Date: Saturday, October 29th
Time: 8pm – 11pm
Admission: $15-$35
Location: ***Offsite – Fort Wadsworth, 210 New York Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10305.

Tickets Here !

Get spooked at Fort Tompkins! Join us for an evening of presentations exploring the fringes of photography, Victorian art, and occult phenomena. Co-presented by the Alice Austen House and Morbid Anatomy Museum, hosted by National Park Service inside a nineteenth century fort! Meet at Fort Wadsworth Visitor Center (210 New York Avenue, Staten Island). Bring your own flashlight! Cocktail party at Alice Austen House to follow at 10pm. Tickets required and must be purchased in advance.

Author Harold Schechter will discuss the art of writing about serial killers and the chilling true-account of Belle Gunness, the Lady Bluebeard, and the dark tourism around her crimes.

Photographer Corinne May Botz will discuss her book “The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death,” an exploration of  miniature crime scene models that were built in the 1940’s and 50’s by criminologist Frances Glessner Lee (1878 – 1962). The models, based on actual homicides, suicides, and accidental deaths, were created to train detectives to assess visual evidence.

Pam Grossman, Getty Images’ Director of Visual Trends and co-organizer of the Occult Humanities Conference at NYU, will present a lecture on “Witch Pictures: Female Magic and Transgressions in Western Art”.

Ronni Thomas, the Morbid Anatomy Filmmaker-in-Residence, discusses mad science, mysticism, romance, and necrophilia within the macabre true story behind his feature film: “No Place for The Living: The Strange Tale of Carl von Cosel”, complete with a chilling score composed by theremin expert Paul Bergel.

Next up is the Comic Arts Brooklyn festival happening on Saturday, November 5th.  I'll be at the Tin Can Forest table, helping sling books and prints and signing copies of our illuminated incantation, "What Is A Witch."  The festival is at Mt. Carmel Gymnasium, 12 Havemeyer St. in Williamsburg from 11am to 7pm.  It features 100+ exhibitors, and best of all, it is FREE, so do come along and say howdy.

Alison Blickle's "Private Rituals" show!

Alison Blickle "Graces" 2016

I've been a longtime fan of Alison Blickle's creations, and considered myself very lucky to have one of her pieces in my exhibition at NYU, "Language of the Birds: Occult and Art" earlier this year.  Her new show, "Private Rituals" at Kravets Wehby Gallery just opened last week, and it looks astounding.  It features groups of women in clandestine gatherings, adorned with Blickle's signature optical glamours that feel part cubist, part psychedelic.  She captures crystallized moments of magic and connection in the most magnificent ways, and lately has been adding another dimensional layer via ceramic fetishes that surround her paintings.  More info:

The Kravets Wehby Gallery is pleased to announce Private Rituals, a solo exhibition of new work by Alison Blickle, opening on Thursday October 13, and running through November 12, 2016.

 

In this new collection of paintings and ceramics, Blickle continues to expand her world of women engaged in mysterious ceremonies and quiet performances. As a new mother, Blickle found inspiration in the extraordinary women in her life, from her midwife to her Wiccan herbalism school sisters.  White vessels repeated in Blickle’s imagery suggest the cosmic egg, carefully tended to by the women who inhabit her scenes. The harlequin diamond pattern alludes to The Fool character from the classic Tarot deck, whose blissfully naive forays and journeys collide with Blickle’s own.

 

Alison Blickle lives and works in Los Angeles. Her work has been exhibited at the Nassau County Museum of Art, Torrance Art Museum, Beers London, Deitch Projects, and The Hole. Her work has been covered extensively by Juxtapoz Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Hi-Fructose Magazine. This will be her third solo exhibition at the gallery. A catalogue will be available.

 

If you're in NYC, be sure to stop by and enter her interworld portals.  You can also order "History of Magic," a truly exquisite new catalog of Blickle's work out soon from Anteism. 

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Laura Battle "The Power of the Center" show!

Laura Battle "Mandala" 2014

I have been aching to see Laura Battle's new exhibition, "The Power of the Center," but I'm growing doubtful that I'll be able to make the trip upstate in time.  Those who live nearby or have cars easily to hand, please be sure to visit it.  She's overtaken The Barn at Meadowbrook Farm, adorning the exterior and interior with her large-scale symbol-laden paintings and drawings.  Through the years, Battle has seemingly invented her own language, using pattern, color, and iconography to conjure new energetic fields.  I can only imagine what these fine, spiritually resonant pieces look like juxtaposed against the worn wooden beams of the structure they're occupying: the heavenly meeting the earthly in one space.  The show is open on weekends through October 16th, so there are a few more chances for you to see it:

The Power of the Center
Paintings by Laura Battle
The Barn at Meadowbrook Farm
71 Starbarrack Road
Red Hook, NY 12571

Open - Saturdays and Sundays 1-5 until October 16

And if you go, please tell these wonderworks I say hello.

Susan Jamison's "Super Natural" exhibition!

Susan Jamison "Lovelace" 2007

Susan Jamison is one of my all-time favorite artists.  She creates masterpieces that are unapologetically beautiful, dangerous, and feminine, and when I look at them, something within me feels as though it is unlocking.  Her work has also become personally totemic for me, as I used one of her paintings as the image for "Fata Morgana: The New Female Fantasists," the first art show I ever curated.  Quite simply, her paintings bring me luck, and they make me feel more magical by looking at them.

You can imagine how honored I was then to be asked to write a catalog essay for her new exhibition, "Super Natural," which opens tomorrow at The Longwood Center for the Visual Arts at Longwood University in Farmville, VA.  This show looks to be an astounding culmination of a lifetime of using artwork to conjure, connect, and tell wild, wondrous tales.  More info:

Super Natural: Susan Jamison is a site-specific installation that speaks to the universal act and nature of instinctive personal rituals, and references sources as varied as nature guides, fairy tales and myths. In addition to the egg tempera works for which she is primarily known, Jamison’s Super Natural is rendered in natural, organic materials including silk, earth and powdered milk. The artist will also lead a master class at Longwood this fall. On view September 24, 2016 – January 8, 2017. Opening reception on September 23, 5-8 pm.

The exhibition will include several of her paintings, in addition to a ghostly, ritualized installation.  Wish I could see it in person, but my spirit is definitely entering her magic circle and cheering her on!  Be there if you can be.

Jesse Bransford's "Nomina Magica" exhibition at the Seligmann Center!

Jesse Bransford "Hills Become the Sun" 2015

Jesse Bransford's solo show, "Nomina Magica," opens at the Seligmann Center in Sugar Loaf, NY this coming Saturday, September 24th, and I could not be more excited for it.  It will feature his signature method of syncretizing various spellworking traditions into masterful, softly prismatic drawings that leave the viewed charged and changed.  This recent body of work focuses on Icelandic and Indian sigils, and fuses them with his own personal occult system.  A video of the artist speaking about the project is here, and more show details below:

        Jesse Bransford
        Nomina Magica

        Sept 24th, 2016 - Jan 9th, 2017

        Opening reception: Saturday, Sept 24th, 5-8pm

Jesse Bransford’s work to date represents an ever-sharpening focus on Art’s relationship to Magic. Bransford believes that this relationship represents a crucial space for a contemporary reconsideration of what it is to be Human. This exhibition focuses especially on two Magical systems: Icelandic magic as seen through contemporary seiðr practices, and Indian yantra forms, especially as described in the Mantramahodadhi (the “Ocean of Mantras”). While seemingly as far flung as two systems of thought could be, both geographically and culturally, the magic they both profess share striking similarities, relying heavily on visual meditation forms and so-called sacred geometry. Both are living traditions that recognize cultural overlaps and the site of consciousness as the generator of what is considered ‘reality’. Bransford’s aim in working with these two traditions is to draw out syncretic overlaps between the forms and to create synergies between the magical intentions of both systems.

The easiest access to the works presented are to realize that all magic practice involves three active categories:

Verbal: A series of vocalizations, sometimes intelligible, often in alternate languages or pure vocalizations. The project’s title, Nomina Magica (Latin: magical names) recognizes and draws attention to the possible powers of words, names and speech.

Somatic: The body used as a vehicle for magical energies, usually in the form of ritual postures (e.g. yoga). These postures activate actual space and ground the event/ritual in the place of the ritual. Both the artist and viewer are intended to be implicated in this dynamic.

Material: The theory of correspondences states that every thing has a symbolic meaning or lateral relation. Blood is akin to fire, for example. Every material can be likened to another thing or idea. The materials deployed to ends in this exhibition operate on many levels: color, tone and form, as well as sign, symbol and metaphor.

Recognizing the historically charged and magical aura of Seligmann’s farm, Bransford has not only made art objects that function magically, but is also explicitly making magical gestures that function artistically. If successful, the overall installation creates a series of spaces, portals and windows into other ways, magical ways, of experiencing art.

Jesse Bransford is a Brooklyn-based artist whose work is exhibited internationally at venues including The Carnegie Museum of Art, the UCLA Hammer Museum, PS 1 Contemporary Art Center and the CCA Wattis Museum among others. He holds degrees from the New School for Social Research (BA), Parsons School of Design (BFA) and Columbia University (MFA). An associate professor of art at New York University and the chair of the Department of Art and Art Professions, Bransford's work has been involved with belief and the visual systems it creates since the 1990s. Early research into color meaning and cultural syncretism led to the occult traditions in general and the work of John Dee and Henry Cornelius Agrippa specifically. He has lectured widely on his work and the topics surrounding his work and is the co-organizer of the biennial Occult Humanities Conference in New York. Work can be seen cataloged at http://jesse-bransford.blogspot.com/

Dates:
-Nomina Magica will remain on view through Monday, January 9, 2017
-Artist's Talk--Saturday, October 15 at 6pm
-Jaguar Society (Jesse Bransford & Jason Martin) Performance--Friday, November 4, 8pm

Some of you know that Jesse is a dear friend and frequent collaborator of mine, so to see his work be celebrated at such a special psychogeographical space, and viewed in the light of Kurt Seligmann's esoteric art legacy, is very meaningful.  Can't wait to see this magnum opus become manifest.

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Judith Schaechter's "The Life Ecstatic" show!

Judith Schaechter  "The Life Ecstatic" 2016

I'm not in NYC right now but if I were, you can bet I'd be at tonight's opening of Judith Schaechter's show, "The Life Ecstatic."  This new body of her signature stained glass miracle workings explores the concept of "transcendent joy," including both the celestially beautiful and the dangerously self-obliterating sides of ecstasy.  As a longtime fan who has watched her work evolve over the years, it is incredible to see it become more elaborate and more controlled at the same time.  She is a true master of craft, and viewing her literally luminous pieces in person is a transcendent experience in itself.

The show is up through October 15th, and I can't wait to see these fresh wonders when I return.  Listening to this old favorite in the meantime to get myself in the appropriate frame of mind.

Esoteric Book Conference 2016!

Thrilled to get the opportunity to speak again at the Esoteric Book Conference in Seattle this weekend.  The lineup is incredible, and includes such luminaries as Brian Cotnoir, Daniel A. Schulke, Benjamin A. Vierling, and Jon Graham.  I'll be giving my "Witch Pictures: Female Magic and Transgression in Western Art" talk on Sunday, September 11th at 12:30pm, followed immediately by a signing of "What Is A Witch" in the vendor area.  My collaborators, Tin Can Forest, will be in attendance as well, so be sure to stop by their table to say hello and marvel at their magnificent artworks.

Tickets available here.

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"Unarius: We Are Not Alone" short doc

I'm a big fan of Jodi Wille, director of the impeccable California cult documentary, The Source Family.  And I'm also a devotee of anything Thalia Mavros and her new women-led media company, The Front, do.  Swirl these phenoms together, and you come up with this glorious short documentary, We Are Not Alone, about the Unarius Academy of Science.  Unarius was a spiritual art collective led by its clairvoyant, flamboyant founder, Ruth E. Norman.  She and her members created a staggering oeuvre of theatre, art, and song all of which was meant to encourage healing and psychic growth in the participants.  The film is chock full of archival footage, interviews, and prismatic visuals that are sure to brighten your day.  It's a fascinating, trippy, and ultimately rather dear story, so do give it a watch here.   

Cloud Cuckooland

I adore everything that Djahari Clark and Desert Sin do.  They manage to bring fairy tales and mythology to life on stage through theatrical dance and costume, and their performances are badass and breathtaking.  Their aesthetic is like a live-action 80s Henson fantasy film meets Balinese puppetry pageant, with a dark adult edge thrown into the brew.  If this all sounds delish to you, then you'll be glad to know they have a new show opening next week called Cloud Cuckooland.  Loosely based on Aristophane's The Birds, the show is an opulent avian evening of "death and passion," as the press materials state. 

If this all wasn't enough, I'm overjoyed to share that my favorite playwright / spousal comrade, Matthew Freeman, has written text for this, so I am majorly fangirling out, as the kids say. 

More info:

Cloud Cuckooland, a dark fairytale conceived and directed by Djahari Clark (Desert Sin), with lyrical text by playwright Matthew Freeman (Why We Left Brooklyn with Blue Coyote Theater Group) 

The production will run September 8-17 at House of Yes (2 Wyckoff Avenue, Brooklyn) with performances Thursday through Saturday at 8pm.

This beautiful multi-media story is a journey through sight and sound inspired by ancient Greek tragedies, and birds. A story about death and rebirth, performed with dance, puppetry, spoken word, song, and aerial. Cloud Cuckooland centers on a Girl who, upon her death, journeys into a fantasy world where she becomes Queen of the Birds. But her Queendom is contingent on leaving her heart behind…a doomed existence the ambiguous birds enjoy to the very end. Wrapped in fairytale magic, Cloud Cuckooland speaks to modern society’s diminishing link to our inner selves while awakening our imagination.

More information can be found at www.djahari.com as well as the making of Cloud Cuckooland at www.facebook.com/cuckooland.

Cloud Cuckooland
September 8, 9, 10 & 15, 16, 17 @ 8pm
House of Yes
2 Wyckoff Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11237

Tickets here - be sure to nab yours before they fly away.

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FASTWÜRMS

FASTWÜRMS  Installation view of "DONKY@NINJA@WITCH" at the CAG, 2011

This season is blazing by me in all respects, so my intended posts are a bit backlogged.  Case in point: been meaning to write about FASTWÜRMS since I learned about them when I was in Toronto way back in May.  They're a Canadian artist collective, currently consisting of two makers, Kim Kozzi and Dai Skuse.  They play with the semiotics of witchcraft to create everything from multimedia installations, public art works, and short films.  I love how their work is both ritualistic and irreverent, utilizing a dark and delightful DIY aesthetic.  Denim witch garb.  Macrame bats.  Pentagram nation flags.  So much yes.

Intrigued and want to learn more?  This interview with them by Mark Laliberte (who's the one who turned me onto them - thanks, Mark!) is a great place to start.

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Phantasmaphile August Linkstravaganza

Guillermo del Toro, Page from Notebook 4

Alright, I rarely do this, but I have been traveling so much lately (hi from London by the way!) that I've been more absent from blogland than I'd like.  So here's a quick list of August-oriented things I've been meaning to post about.  Wish I had time to do a one-off for each, but better succinct than never, ey?

Guillermo del Toro retrospective opened at LACMA yesterday.  Up through Nov 27th.

"The Keeper" show explores the idea of collecting at the New Museum, NYC.  They have a few Hilma af Klint pieces as part of it to boot.  Up through Sept 25th.

Spartanburg Art Museum in South Carolina is currently showing "Pacts and Invocation: Magic and Ritual in Contemporary Art," up through August 28th.

"Equilibrium Rites," a bee magick and ecology art project spearheaded by Meesha Goldberg, opens at Hive Gallery, LA on Saturday Aug 6th, alongside group shows "Honey and Venom" and "Cosmic Union."  All shows up through August 27th.

Speaking of bees, the divine Carrie Ann Baade painted this ridiculously glorious portrait of me for SF's Modern Eden Gallery.  It is easily one of the strangest and most delightful things that has ever happened to me.  You can check it out in person if you so desire, as it will be hanging there for a while.  (Or you can, you know, buy it for me.  Just sayin).

Wishing I could get up to the Hudson Valley for "The Sound Behind You II,"  a mystical landscape and nature show featuring many of my favorite artists including Jesse Bransford, Kari Adelaide, Max Razdow, and Juliet Jacobson.  Show is up for one weekend only, August 13th and 14th.

Last shows ever up now at Seattle's trailblazing pop surrealist gallery Roq La Rue, and RIP to the current location of Brooklyn's beloved Stephen Romano Gallery.  Both Kirsten Anderson and Stephen Romano will re-emerge armed with even more weird and wondrous schemes, no doubt.

I can't stop buying work by Rebecca Artemisa.

Just finished reading the newly released trade of comics series, Monstress, and holy moly is it a stunner.

Yes, Stranger Things really is the best best BEST.

Also, totally late to the Duke of Burgundy game, but it's the most gorgeous and opulent film I've seen in quite some time.  And the soundtrack by Cat's Eyes is a dream as well.

Still anxiously awaiting a release date for Hope Sandoval's new album, but this new Massive Attack track featuring her is at least *something*.

 

That's all for now.  Hope you're having a splendid summer, truly.

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Lindsay Stripling

Lindsay Stripling  "The Witches"

I confess I first fell for Lindsay Stripling's more epic and weird watercolor tableaux.  But then I happened upon this lovely witch work and had to post it because - well, you read this blog so I don't have to explain!