{"id":2827,"date":"2016-02-03T10:20:36","date_gmt":"2016-02-03T14:20:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bard.edu\/arthistory\/?p=2827"},"modified":"2016-02-03T10:20:36","modified_gmt":"2016-02-03T14:20:36","slug":"a-talk-by-susan-aberth-at-nyu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bard.edu\/arthistory\/?p=2827","title":{"rendered":"A Talk by Susan Aberth at NYU"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Screen<\/a>Language of the Birds: Occult and Art
\n<\/strong>80WSE Gallery, New York University
\nJanuary 12 \u2013 February 13, 2016<\/h3>\n

Curated by Pam Grossman
\nOpening reception: Wednesday, January 13, 6 \u2013 8pm
\nHours: Tuesday \u2013 Saturday from 10:30am \u2013 6pm<\/p>\n

Language of the Birds: Occult and Art considers over 60 modern and contemporary artists who have each expressed their own engagement with magical practice.\u00a0 Beginning with Aleister Crowley’s trance portraiture and Austin Osman Spare’s automatic drawing of the early 20th century, the exhibition traces over 100 years of occult art, including Leonora Carrington and Kurt Seligmann\u2019s surrealist explorations, Kenneth Anger and Ira Cohen\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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 \u201chigh\u201d or ceremonial magic, others draw from so-called \u201clow magic\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

The exhibition takes its name from the historical and cross-cultural notion that there is a magic language via which only the initiated can communicate. \u00a0Often referred to as the \u201clanguage of the birds,\u201d it is a system rumored to operate in symbols, and to be a vehicle for revealing hidden truths and igniting metamorphic sparks.<\/p>\n

The artists in Language of the Birds can be considered magicians, then, when seen through this mythopoeic lens. A visual vocabulary is offered up by them, so that we all might be initiated into their imaginal mystery cults and dialog with the ineffable. They speak to us in secret tongues, cast spells, and employ pictures for the purpose of activating profound change in both themselves and in us. \u00a0By going within, then drawing streams of imagery forth through their creations, each of these artists seeks to render the invisible visible, to materialize the immaterial, and to tell us that we, too, can enter numinous realms.<\/p>\n

Special Events Related to the Exhibition<\/strong><\/p>\n

Weds, Jan 13: Opening Reception \u00a0 6-8pm<\/p>\n

Weds, Jan 27: Performance of \u201cThe Language,\u201d a theatrical piece written by playwright Matthew Freeman, commissioned for Language of the Birds. \u00a0\u00a0 7pm – Free and open to the public.<\/p>\n

Fri, Feb 5 \u2013 Sun, Feb 7: The Occult Humanities Conference at NYU Steinhardt \u2013 a weekend long symposium of 14 lectures and performances which explore the influence of magical thought upon art, history, and contemporary culture.\u00a0 Tickets required – SOLD OUT.<\/p>\n

Weds, Feb 10: \u201cArt Workings\u201d Lectures and panel discussion with Professor Susan L. Aberth, Jesse Bransford, and William Breeze, moderated by exhibition curator, Pam Grossman. \u00a0 7pm – Free and open to the public.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Link to Language of the Birds: Occult and Art<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Language of the Birds: Occult and Art 80WSE Gallery, New York University January 12 \u2013 February 13, 2016 Curated by Pam Grossman Opening reception: Wednesday, January 13, 6 \u2013 8pm Hours: Tuesday \u2013 Saturday from 10:30am \u2013 6pm Language of the Birds: Occult and Art considers over 60 modern and contemporary artists who have each […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":144,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faculty-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bard.edu\/arthistory\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bard.edu\/arthistory\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bard.edu\/arthistory\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bard.edu\/arthistory\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/144"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bard.edu\/arthistory\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2827"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bard.edu\/arthistory\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2827\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2831,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bard.edu\/arthistory\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2827\/revisions\/2831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bard.edu\/arthistory\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bard.edu\/arthistory\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bard.edu\/arthistory\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}