“THE LANGUAGE OF BIRDS” get Best ART EXHIBITION of 2016 on DISINFO
The BOWIE SHRINE ON LAFAYETTE STREET and “THE LANGUAGE OF BIRDS” curated by Pam Grossman
Deadly freezing cold outside. Two events, just a few blocks apart in New York, Wednesday, January 13 2016, make for one unforgettable experience.
Language of the Birds: Occult and Art curated by Pam Grossman
Language of the Birds: Occult and Art considers over 60 modern and contemporary artists who have each expressed their own engagement with magical practice. Beginning with Aleister Crowley’s tarot paintings and Austin Osman Spare’s automatic drawings of the 1920s, the exhibition traces nearly a century of occult art, including Leonora Carrington and Kurt Seligmann’s surrealist explorations, Kenneth Anger and Ira Cohen’s ritualistic experiments in film and photography, and the mystical probings of contemporary visionaries such as Francesco Clemente, Kiki Smith, Paul Laffoley, BREYER P-ORRIDGE, and Carol Bove.
The concerns and influences of each of these artists are as eclectic as the styles in which they work. While several of the pieces deal with “high” or ceremonial magic, others draw from so-called “low magic” practices and have deeply chthonic roots. The approaches in technique are varying as well, with some doing years of research and preparation for the act of creation, and others working entirely intuitively. Regardless of method, Language of the Birds suggests that all are part of the same lineage: one that pulls on threads from the esoteric web of alchemy, Hermeticism, Spiritualism, Theosophy, divination and witchcraft.
see full article here at DISINFO:
Language of the Birds: Art and Occult: Official Site for Exhibition
