In this illustrated talk and conversation, we will explore how our understanding of artists’ esoteric practice is shaping the conversation between art, artists and the audience. We will primarily be looking at the contributions of women artists, both historical and current, ranging from the Theosophically inspired Hilma af Klint and Surrealist occultist Ithell Colquhoun to a number of contemporary artists for whom esoteric practice is foundational to their art. For many years esoteric and occult practices in art have been sidelined as marginal and even taboo within art historical discourses. However, the recent cultural explosion of interest in esotericism and the occult is redefining the contributions of esotericism on the development of visual art, particularly from the late nineteenth century onward.
“Ways of Knowing through the Changing Landscapes of Esoteric Art ” is part of the CSWR’s new initiative, “Transcendence and Transformation.”
Dr. Amy Hale is an Atlanta-based anthropologist and folklorist writing about esoteric history, esoteric art, culture, women and Cornwall. She has written on topics as diverse as modern Druidry, Cornish ethnonationalism, the New Right and Paganism, Pagan religious tourism, and occult performance art. She is the editor of Essays on Women in Western Esotericism: Beyond Seeresses and Sea Priestesses (Palgrave Macmillan), and her biography of surrealist and occultist Ithell Colquhoun, Genius of the Fern Loved Gully, is published by Strange Attractor Press.
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