Sigils & Signs - A group art show

Sigils & Signs, a group art show

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:38:11 -0400

April 27th - June 17th, 2012
Opening reception: Friday, April 27th, 7-10pm
Gallery Hours: Thursdays & Fridays 3-6pm, Saturdays & Sundays 12-6pm

The fibers of art and magic are woven so tightly together, it’s often said that they are one and the same. Images are imaginal pictures. When we see something, a constellation of synapses fires, associations swirl, and new thoughts are born. We are altered - and what is magic, if not this?

That said, there is a long lineage of artists who, quite literally, created spells via drawings on the floor, scrawls in books, lines cut into wood or stone. Though the featured players of this story are often English magicians from John Dee to Austin Osman Spare to Alan Moore, symbol-based magic can be traced back through the ages and across cultures. Germanic runes were carved into objects and later used as vehicles of divination. Hindu yantras and Buddhist mandalas are meditative, microcosmic diagrams meant to elevate the mind to the spiritual plane, and Kabbalistic letters are infinite layer-cakes of mystic meaning. The well-placed glyph can bless a birth, or curdle mother’s milk. A ring of certain characters can summon a demon, and the right number-grid can allow communion with the angels. Excavated from grimoires, handed down from teachers both living and dead, these are powerful emblems that act upon the fabric of the universe.

As such, the works in Sigils & Signs are agents of change. By using occult symbols from various traditions and times, each artist explores what it means to be a magician in the modern age: to emblazon sigils upon the energy field; to make magic marks. While these artworks may be appreciated for their aesthetic value – and oh how valuable they are – the viewer is invited to engage with each piece on the immaterial level. Whether protective or contemplative, refueling or revealing, these “wall spells” are cast with careful beauty and the intention to transform.

Participating Artists

Andreco
Jesse Bransford
Derrick R. Cruz
Adela Leibowitz
Jason Leinwand
Tamalyn Miller
Deborah Mills
Annie Murphy
Ouroboros Press
Daniel Rabuzzi
Michael Robinson
David Chaim Smith
Fredrik Söderberg
Hilary White

About the Curator

Pam Grossman is an independent curator and lifelong student of magical practice and history. She is the creator of Phantasmaphile, a blog which specializes in art and culture with an esoteric or fantastical bent, and the Associate Editor of Abraxas International Journal of Esoteric Studies. As co-founder of Observatory, her programming aims to explore mysticism via a scholarly yet accessible approach. Her group art shows, Fata Morgana: The New Female Fantasists, VISION QUEST, and Alchemically Yours have been featured by such outlets as Boing Boing, CREATIVE TIME, Time Out New York, Juxtapoz, Arthur, 20×200, UrbanOutfitters.com, and Neil Gaiman’s Twitter. She lectures on such topics as The Occult in Modern Art 101, and teaches classes on herbalism and ritual. She is a graduate of New York University, where she studied anthropology, art history, and religious studies. A resident of Brooklyn, she lives with her playwright husband, Matt, and their two cat familiars, Albee and Remedios “Remy” Varo.

About the Gallery

Observatory is an art and events space in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Founded in February 2009 and run by a group of seven artists and bloggers, the space seeks to present programming inspired by the 18th century notion of “rational amusement” and is especially interested in topics residing at the interstices of art and science, history and curiosity, magic and nature. The space hosts screenings, lectures, classes, and exhibitions, and is part of the Proteus Gowanus art complex. It is located at 543 Union Street (at Nevins), and is accessed through Proteus Gowanus Gallery’s entrance. Observatory’s gallery hours are 3-6pm on Thursdays and Fridays; and 12-6pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

For sales or media inquiries, please contact Pam Grossman: phantasmaphile [at] gmail.com

Show image: Jesse Bransford, “Every Man and Woman is a Star” detail, 2008

Installation view

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:10:13 -0400

Installation view

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:09:39 -0400

Installation view

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:09:08 -0400

Installation view

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:08:29 -0400

Installation view

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:07:57 -0400

Installation view

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:07:09 -0400

Installation view

Derrick R. Cruz, Diagram of night rising over day and its...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 22:59:00 -0400

Derrick R. Cruz, Diagram of night rising over day and its origins, 2011. Hand-screened white on 98 lb acid free/light resistant black high rag Canson MiTientes (medium texture). 18 x 24” Limited Edition of 21. Signed and Numbered. $125 un-framed, $200 framed

Michael Robinson, Map IV (untitled Map series,) 2011. Silk...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 22:56:41 -0400

Michael Robinson, Map IV (untitled Map series,) 2011. Silk Screen Ink on Paper. 80x24” (each panel is 20x24”) $650 for all 4 framed, or $200 each framed

Andreco, Love and hate symbol, 2011. Screen print with water...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 22:54:54 -0400

Andreco, Love and hate symbol, 2011. Screen print with water base color (black and gold). 28x28” $200

Andreco The salt of life. Evaporation, condensation,...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 22:54:30 -0400

Andreco The salt of life. Evaporation, condensation, distillation, 2011. Screen print with water base color (black and gold). 20x28” $200

Imps, Etc. (Deborah Mills and Daniel Rabuzzi), A Troll’s...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 22:52:20 -0400

Imps, Etc. (Deborah Mills and Daniel Rabuzzi), A Troll’s Toy, A Changeling’s Blocks 2012. Mexican perota wood, carved, painted, gilded, embellished. Three blocks that fit together, each cube 3.5x3.5x3.5” $900 for the three blocks as a unit

Annie Murphy, The Bird and Serpent Goddess of Old Europe, 2012. ...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 22:48:38 -0400

Annie Murphy, The Bird and Serpent Goddess of Old Europe, 2012. Brush and ink and watercolor on paper. 8x10” $135

Annie Murphy, A Spell of Hope For Forgiveness of the Real and...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 22:46:01 -0400

Annie Murphy, A Spell of Hope For Forgiveness of the Real and Imagined Sins of My Ancestors, 2012. Pen and brush and ink on paper. 14.5x11.5” $220

Annie Murphy, Two of Bones, 2012. Watercolor and brush & ink...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 22:44:01 -0400

Annie Murphy, Two of Bones, 2012. Watercolor and brush & ink on watercolor paper. 12x16.5” $160

David Chaim Smith, Practice Shiviti for Kabbalah Students,...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 22:42:00 -0400

David Chaim Smith, Practice Shiviti for Kabbalah Students, 1999. Digital print, wine, consecrating oil. 13x5.5” Price upon request.

David Chaim Smith, Small Talisman, 2012. Print on paper with...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 22:40:31 -0400

David Chaim Smith, Small Talisman, 2012. Print on paper with oil, wine, milk, vinegar. 2x2” Price upon request.

David Chaim Smith, Blood of Space 2, 2009. Graphite/ink on...

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 17:42:00 -0400

David Chaim Smith, Blood of Space 2, 2009. Graphite/ink on digital print. 18x22” NFS.

David Chaim Smith, Magical seal for Isaiah 26:4 evocation of...

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 17:29:00 -0400

David Chaim Smith, Magical seal for Isaiah 26:4 evocation of non-linear spirits 2-6, 2011. Graphite/ink. 17x17” framed. $3000

Deborah Mills, Runic Guardian, 1993. Hand-carved beech wood...

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 17:20:00 -0400

Deborah Mills, Runic Guardian, 1993. Hand-carved beech wood with rubbed oil and wax finish. 11” wide x 16” high x 4.5” deep. NFS, but a personal guardian figure may be commissioned