Rebecca Chaperon "Birth Place" 2019
Ahhh, so much going on. Where to begin, where to begin? I suppose with a quick note that apparently the Hilma af Klint show has officially broken the Guggenheim's attendance records. Not that I'm surprised, mind you. Women’s art and spiritual art have both been undervalued for so long. I'm happy to see either receive much deserved appreciation, but when combined together, as in Hilma’s work, it’s all the sweeter. I believe people are hungry for feminine magic in all forms, and this show is but one more affirmation of that. It closes in just a few days on the 23rd, so make sure you get there if you don't want to miss this monumental event. (I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention that I write about Hilma and several other witchly artists in my book, WAKING THE WITCH, which is out on June 4th, and available for pre-order pretty much everywhere now!)
In other news:
- I saw the Agnes Pelton show at the Phoenix Art Museum a few weeks back, and it is magnificent. I predict this will be as revelatory as the Hilma show was for many folks, especially when it makes its way to the Whitney next year. The catalog is wonderful, and features an essay about female occult art by my phenomenal and brilliant friend, Susan L. Aberth.
- London's Serpentine Gallery has a big show up now of mystic and healer Emma Kunz's drawings. Great to see her getting more attention now, too. The show is up through May 19th.
- If crystal visions are your thing, as they are mine, you'll definitely want to check out the Rebecca Chaperon (above) and Debra Baxter double-header up now at Seattle's Roq La Rue running through May 5.
- The Masters of the Fantastic show at NYC's Society of Illustrators looks excellent, and features the work of legendary fantasy and sci-fi illustrators including my favorites, Leo and Diane Dillon. It's up now through June 8th.
- Recently discovered Anne Jackson's remarkable witch tapestries online, and wish so much I could see them in person. Her show, Certaine Witches, has been touring throughout the UK. It's currently up at Devon Guild of Craftsmen through May 6th.
- Some of you may recognize that the title of my book, WAKING THE WITCH, is a reference to a Kate Bush song of the same name, and that both are a relatively positive reframing of a rather awful bit of sleep-deprivation torture employed to get accused witches to "confess." Was happy to come across an intriguing current group art exhibition touring the UK, also with the same title, which explores all manner of British witchery.
- I know some folks are wary of musicians being given art exhibitions, but I for one am looking forward to checking out the Annie Lennox show Now I Let You Go... up at MassMOCA now through May 25th (and bonus: my friend Christopher Mir's work is on display there, too). The Leonard Cohen group show A Crack in Everything at NYC's Jewish Museum is also up through Sept 8th, and I'm curious to see it as I adore his songs so much.
- A name you come across a lot on here is Max Razdow, as he is my friend and a hugely imaginative and prolific artist. He has a new series of occult oracle cards that he's created called MAGE CARDS, and honestly, you need to see them to believe how strange and beautiful they are.
- I really loved the fantastical Ghanaian film The Burial of Kojo by Blitz the Ambassador. It's a visually striking, slowly unfurling tone poem that is a bit reminiscent of Color of Pomegranates, Daughters of the Dust, and 3 Women. See it if you love magical realism, saturated colors, and dreamy imagery as I do. It's streaming on Netflix now.
- Very proud of the most recent Witch Wave episodes, I must say. The last three have been cosmic comics creator, Yumi Sakagawa; drag sorceress (and winner of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 5), Jinkx Monsoon; and occult poet, Janaka Stucky. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or direct on the Witch Wave podcast site.
- Speaking of listening, have you heard any good new music (other than the Beyoncé album/doc obviously)? I've been digging the recording of Beth Gibbons' new Górecki performance, Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, and I'm eagerly anticipating the new Kelsey Lu and the new Lizzo that both drop on Friday.
I'm sure there's more - isn't there always? - but I've gotta shake a tail feather, so off I go!
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