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Vivienne Roberts logo

Follow me on instagram for news, events and thoughts on the art I love.

mediumisticart

Curating, writing/researching, collecting mediumistic and visionary art. London based
vivienneroberts.com
@madge.gill @georgianahoughton

What a treat it was to see Fata Morgana: Memories What a treat it was to see Fata Morgana: Memories of the Invisible and all the more special as I was accompanied by friend and incredible artist @paolamcbay which meant the visit was enriched by great conversation about the exhibition. 

The show is produced by @fondazione_trussardi @beatricetrussardi with @palazzomorando and curated by Massimiliano Gioni, Daniel Birnbaum and Marta Papini

The show is dedicated to artistic practices propelled by the invisible, psychic automatism, and trance like states as modes of creation and “draws inspiration from the poem “Fata Morgana”, written by André Breton in 1940, and intertwines history, art, and mysticism through visions, ecstasies, apparitions, and alternative imaginaries to explore the relationship between art, the occult, and inner dimensions. With paintings, photographs, documents, drawings, and ritual objects, Fata Morgana: Memories of the Invisible presents the works of mediums, mystics, visionaries, and artists who have opened up passageways between the seen and unseen. Exploring cross-pollination between the visual arts and paranormal phenomena, esotericism, spiritualism, theosophy, and symbolic practices, the exhibition offers a vibrant, fragmented panorama of research emerging in the margins of official history.”

Images
Georgiana Houghton @georgianahoughton on loan from Houghton family.
Anna Mary Howitt Watts @thecollegeofpsychicstudies 
Marguerite Burnat-Provins @gallevery 
Man Ray 
Marie Le Goarant de Tromelin @musevery 
Gertrude Honzatko-Mediz @collectionofmediumisticart 
Madame Favre @musevery 
Madge Gill @madge.gill @gallevery 
Anna Zemánkovà @christianberstartbrut 
Emma Kunz @emma_kunz_zentrum_wuerenlos 
Marian Spore Bush 
Olga Fröbe-Kapteyn
Emma Jung Jung Foundation 
Hilma af Klint @hilmaafklintofficial 
Giulia Andreani @giuliaandreanistudio 
Paulina Peavy @paulinapeavyofficial 
Goshka Macuga @gonogo.space 
Wilhelmine Assmann @collectionofmediumisticart 
Cecilia Edefalk @ceciliaedefalk 
Kiki Smith @pacegallery
In Milano don’t miss the superb Leonora Carrington In Milano don’t miss the superb Leonora Carrington exhibition @leonoracarringtonestate curated by @terearcq Tere Arcq @palazzorealemilano 

“I returned home and spent the whole night carefully sorting the things l intended taking along with me. All of them got into a suitcase which bore, beneath my name, a small brass plate set into the leather, on which was written the word REVELATION.” Leonora Carrington 

“Carrington’s mysterious ways are unsurprising, given that most esoteric pathways not only require secrecy, but their very nature also resists easy categorization and representation. Carrington was keenly aware of this and carefully embedded incantations, sigils, diagrams, and other conjuring symbols within her compositions, often effectively obscuring their purpose and meaning behind playful narratives designed to confound those unfamiliar with these traditions.”
@tate #emilykamkngwarray show is sublime. @emilyka @tate #emilykamkngwarray show is sublime. @emilykamekngwarreye 

“Kngwarray’s art is grounded in her understanding of her Country and of the Dreamings originating there. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, the concept of the Dreaming or Creation time is fundamental to their social, cultural and spiritual practices. Ancestral beings, popularly known as Dreamings, manifest themselves in Country and its many diverse life forms. Plants, animals and natural phenomena, such as wind, fire and rain, travel across Country, shaping landscapes as they go. Important places and their Dreamings are celebrated in songs and ceremonies.”

The images are a tiny part of this extraordinary exhibition and show mainly her Alhalker Suite from 1993 consisting of 22 acrylic on canvas panels. 

“The ecosystem of Alhalker Country is typical of the arid zone of central Australia. It includes low-lying ridges, rocky outcrops, woodlands and undulating sandplains, some permanent waterholes and winding ephemeral watercourses. Alhalker is home to the many plants and animals that inspired Kngwarray’s artworks. Alhalker is the place where Kngwarray was born, and where she lived during her younger years. The name refers to a particular place, but also to a broader geographic area for which certain Anmatyerr people have custodial rights and responsibilities. This thread of inheritance has continued through countless generations.

Alhalker Suite: In later years, Kngwarray broadened the colour spectrum and techniques she used In her paintings: The most ambitlous work from his era is The Alhalker Suite, made up of 22 panels. This painting is a multi-faceted, kaleidoscopic portrait of Alhalker Country. It offers an aerial perspective of the winding waterways, sandplains and the variable geography of Alhalker. Kngwarray’s descendants have described how the colours capture seasonal changes and shifting light over a timeless land.
It was lovely to return to the @thecollegeofpsychi It was lovely to return to the @thecollegeofpsychicstudies - catch up with Gill Matini and the team and to see their fantastic new exhibition The Medium is the Message 🔮✨Go See✨🔮 beautifully curated by @jacqui_mcintosh 

It was also a special day because Anita and Kari Fagerholm from @aleksandraionowa Society were visiting from Finland. There is a room devoted to Aleksandra’s exquisite drawings in the show. 

The College’s art collection is utterly captivating and even though I know it so well I quickly ran out of time, especially as I wanted to spend time with some of the exhibition’s loans such as the room for Paulina Peavy @paulinapeavyofficial which is her first showing in the UK and @susanmacwilliam who has a film about parapsychologist Eileen Garrett. 

Fortunately, the show is on until January 31st so plenty of time for a return visit. 

Images
Anna Howitt Watts
@drawnbyann Ann Churchill 
Aleksandra Ionowa
#ithellcolquhoun 
@chantalpowell 
@nicole_frobusch 
@thesarahsparkes 
@seance_book Shannon Taggart
Sidney Manley
Paulina Peavy - (2 images)
PIC Charles Higgins
@mimei_t Mimei Thompson
@caramacwilliam_art
Ethel Annie Weir
A Madgestic week and still pinching myself that it A Madgestic week and still pinching myself that it wasn’t all a dream! Curating the stand with @gallevery for @friezemasters where the most amazing things happened. Definitely a week of radical spirits at play. 

@spiritnowlondon demonstrated their bold approach to acquiring new works by women for collections which this year was for the @nationalportraitgallery guided by @flavia_fffff - the first image shows the work they selected by Madge where the sitter of the portrait is a spiritual entity - surely that’s a first in the gallery’s history?

One British institution to invite Madge into the fold for the first time would be amazing, but the @tate also chose a work from the stand. This time a large calico titled Venus Mid Heaven - see images 3 and 4. There’s no doubt that a new portal has opened for Madge’s art. It was a joy to meet so many Tate people who were so excited about this acquisition. The general feeling was that it was long overdue. Massive credit to James Brett / Gallery of Everything team for materialising these historic moments. 

Five days at the fair and forty hours of talking non-stop Madge was a treat. Definitely on voice rest today, but excited for what lies ahead for Madge and the many other women who chose the unusual path of creating mediumistic and visionary art. 

Further images are from the stand - installed by Leana 🙏💪🔥 and her team 🙌🙌🙌 

I also want to mention the privilege of working alongside Sakhshi and Anna from the gallery with George Barker for the week. Phenomenal team. (There was a team photo taken, but not sure whose phone that was on.)

@madge.gill @mediumisticart
Ectoplasmix has materialised @gallevery in London Ectoplasmix has materialised @gallevery in London until November 30th. A group show depicting ectoplasmic presences in art and photography from the last 100 years. 

“In the 1920s, ectoplasm started to emerge from the creative digits of mediumistic art-makers. Notable cosmic flows appeared in the in glorious multi-coloured drawings of Frantisek Jaroslav Pecka, a Czech palaeontologist and spiritualist. His was an organic plasma oozing from every ghostly orifice and framing its subjects in psychedelic issuance.” 

“Ectoplasmix aims to bring such investigation to a head, and to decide whether this beautiful, esoteric and elusive form can bring historic resonance to a cynical today.”

#ectoplasm #artexhibition #mediumisticart #spiritphotography
I had the absolute joy of joining a tour of the ou I had the absolute joy of joining a tour of the outstanding Hoi Polloi exhibition now open at @thebrown_collection curated by @glennbrownofficial 

The occasion was all the more special as it was led the brilliant art educator and historian #LizziePerrotte, who was my first teacher twenty five years or so ago and the person who ignited my flame for art history that has burned brightly ever since. Thank you to all you art educators out there for inspiring so many - often without even realising it. 🙌

“Hoi polloi” is derived from the Greek for ‘the people’, or ‘the many, most often used as an insult for the great unwashed masses?
The exhibition brings together paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures from the sixteenth century to the present. At the heart of Hoi Polloi is the mark-energetic, precise or fractured. Across four floors, the exhibition traces how artists have used chalk, pencil, brush, pen, engraving tool or sculptor’s hand to conjure ‘the people, whether intimate or unsettling.”

Images
1- Glenn Brown - The Hoi Polloi 2024
2-3 #austinosmanspare self Portrait 1911
4 Glenn - Hot Love 2017
5 Glenn - drawing after Tiepolo 2025
6-7 #anyagallacio
8 Hans Bellmer 1955
9 Stanley William Hayter 1953
10-11 @drawnbyann 1974-75
12-13 Boris Petrovich Sveshnikov (details) 1987
14 Austin Osman Spare (detail) 1912
15 Glenn Sonnet Lover 2024-25
16-17 Anne French
Great solo #Toyen show Dreaming in the Margins @ri Great solo #Toyen show Dreaming in the Margins @richardsaltoungallery highlighting her graphic work. 

Followed by a few favourites from the British Art Fair @britishartfair 
@seanjeffersonart with @messumslondon 
#TristiamHillier - Holy Ghost
#Eileen Agar Invisible Messages  @theredferngallery 
#AlanDavie Shaman’s Wheel @alanwheatleyart 
#AustinOsmanSpare Automatic Drawing @abbottandholder
Atmospheric beyond words. #rudolfsteiner #goethean Atmospheric beyond words. #rudolfsteiner #goetheanum at Dornach. #anthroposophy #goethe
Beppe Assenza (1905-1985) found great success as a Beppe Assenza (1905-1985) found great success as an artist in Italy. In the 1950s, his wife’s serious illness took him to a clinic in Arlesheim; after her death, he chose Dornach in Switzerland as his new home. Here, he began his work as a teacher at a painting school, which, thanks to his skills, attracted an ever-growing circle of artistically talented people.

To mark the 120th anniversary of his birth and 40th anniversary of his death the Trigon Foundation organised an exhibition of Assenza’s work, along with some of his students including Fabrizia Bevilacqua at the KunstSchauDepot in Dornach (not far from the Goetheanum) 

Throughout his life, Assenza intensively studied the character of colour, Goethe’s theory of colour, and Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophical explanations on the subject. From his experience of colour, he developed the forms in his paintings, which retain mystery and the ability to attract and inspire each viewer. 

#beppeassenza #anthroposophy
My second post about Ghosts – Visualising the Supe My second post about Ghosts - Visualising the Supernatural exhibition @kunstmuseumbasel curated by Eva Reifert focuses on mediumistic art.

“Within just a few decades, electric power spread virtually everywhere, bringing the telegraph, the telephone, sound recordings, and the radio-each a new medium of communication that harnessed invisible forces to operate across large distances. That is why the idea that human mediums might make contact with the spirit world seemed far from absurd in the age of technology.

Images: @georgianahoughton from @mediumisticart and @thecollegeofpsychicstudies @agatha_wojciechowsky from @zandercollectioncologne 
@madge.gill Marie Bouttier, Laure Pigeon and Augustin Lessge from #collectiondelartbrutlausanne 
Wilhelmine Assmann 
Marie Hofmann and Milly Canavero from @collectionofmediumisticart 
Fernand Desmoulin from Institut Metapsychique in Paris. 

They are joined by a wider constellation of stellar trans-historical artists creating a cornucopia of the celestial and otherworldly! 

Nicolai Abildgaard #WilhelmineAssmann
#WilliamBlake #AnnaBlume #CorinneMayBotz
#HeidiBucher #MillyCanavero #ThomasDemand #FernandDesmoulin
#NicoleEisenman #MaxErnst #KatharinaFritsch
#RyanGander @madge.gill  #MariaHofman @georgianahoughton @mike_kelley_foundation
Justinus Kerner
#PaulKlee #AugustinLesage #GlennLigon
@susanmacwilliam #GabrielvonMax #ReneMagritte #JohnEverettMillais
#MeretOppenheim @tonyoursler  @corneliaparkerartist #LaurePigeon @sigmar.polke #OdilonRedon #ThomasSchütte
#JamesTissot #Toyen #RosemarieTrockel #BerthaValerius @rachelwhitereadofficial #GillianWearing #ErwinWurm and many others
What a Triumph! 👻 ‘Ghosts: Visualising the Superna What a Triumph! 👻 ‘Ghosts: Visualising the Supernatural at @kunstmuseumbasel curated by Eva Reifert assisted by Jasper Warzecha and advised by Susan Owens and Andreas Fischer. Too much great art for one post so here’s the first. 

“Ghosts have been haunting humans everywhere, and since the dawn of time. Although many people could tell stories of personal encounters, most of us today come across ghosts primarily in books and movies, on the stage, or as Halloween costumes.

For the longest time, their existence was an unquestionable fact of life. Then religious doctrine and the faith in reason sought to banish them to the realm of the imagination. In nineteenth-century Europe and North America, the search for meaning in life combined with a novel scientific enthusiasm to propel attempts to track down ghosts, to communicate with them, to prove that they were real. Over the past two hundred and fifty years, art and culture have produced an inexhaustible supply of varying images of ghosts animated by the unsettling power and poetic potential of these apparitions.

What do ghosts have to say to us?
They confront us with what fills us as individuals or our societies with unease and refuses to fade into oblivion, what eludes our control and defies our understanding. Meanwhile, they reflect the emotional and spiritual life of an era racked by doubts and wrenching changes that also unleash enormous creative energies.”

Images
@georgianahoughton spirit photo by Frederick Hudson 1872 (1-2)
Florrie Cook with Sir William Crookes 1874
John Everett Millais 1895
Gabriel Max of Seeress of Prevorst in a Trance 1892
William Hope spirit photo
Staveley Bulford (7-8) @thecollegeofpsychicstudies 
James Tissot The Apparition 
Ryan Gander @ryanjgander sculpture 
Justinus Kerner
Magritte
Meret Oppenheim 
Cindy Ji Hye Kim
Rachel Whiteread @rachelwhitereadofficial Poltergeist 2020
Cornelia Parker @corneliaparkerartist PsychoBarn 2023
Toyen
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