Skip to content
  • collection
    • Aleksandra Ionowa
    • Allen o2o Moore
    • Amy Grantham
    • Anna Howitt Watts
    • Cara Macwilliam
    • Catherine Garrigue
    • Cathy Ward
    • Cecilie Marková
    • Chelo González Amézcua
    • Chris Neate
    • Ernest J Gerrard
    • Etty Buzyn
    • František Jaroslav Pecka
    • Georgiana Houghton
    • Grace Pailthorpe
    • Greg Humphries
    • Henriette Zéphir
    • Ithell Colquhoun
    • Jacque Moran
    • Josef Kotzian
    • Julia Oak
    • Kate Southworth
    • Louise Janin
    • Madge Donohoe
    • Madge Gill
    • Marianne McCarthy
    • Melissa Alley
    • Nnena Kalu
    • Sue Williams A'Court
    • Victor Bramley
  • contact
  • exhibitions
    • Art and Spirit: Visions of Wonder
    • Creative Spirits
    • Julia Oak: Through the Portal and the Pen
    • Madge Gill at Frieze Masters
    • Strange Things Among Us
    • Tranceducers
    • Tranceducers St Ives
  • news
  • publications
  • talks
  • vivienne roberts
Vivienne Roberts logo
  • collection
  • exhibitions
  • publications
  • talks
  • news
  • contact
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

New works for the Tranceducers St Ives show by Chr New works for the Tranceducers St Ives show by Chris Neate @mistertoad1 

Tranceducers is an exploration of artistic practices shaped by alternative perceptions, otherworldly transmissions and intuitive mark-making. Spanning over 100 years it will feature historical pioneers and contemporary practitioners from around the world. 

“Tranceducers St Ives, proposes that the often overlooked visionary, the medium and the automatist are not peripheral to art history, but enduring figures whose insights can challenge, disrupt, heal and reawaken our enchantment with the world we now live in. This is an exhibition where the viewer plays a vital role, invited not merely to look, but to see beyond the surface. The works on display do not simply depict, they tranceduce, offering portals into alternative modes of perception and deeper realities.”

Artists: 
Melissa Alley @melissaalley.artist ~ Victor Bramley ~ Etty Buzyn ~ #IthellColquhoun ~ Madge Donohoe ~ Ernest J. Gerrard ~  Madge Gill @madge.gill ~ Amy Grantham @_amygrantham ~ Greg Humphries  @greghumphriesart ~ Aleksandra Ionowa @aleksandraionowa ~ #LouiseJanin ~ Nnena Kalu @actionspace ~ Josef Kotzian ~ Cara Macwilliam  @caramacwilliam_art ~ Cecilie Marková ~ Marianne McCarthy @marianne.mccarthy ~ Allen o2o Moore @alano_o2o ~ Jacque Moran ~ Chris Neate @mistertoad1 ~ Grace Pailthorpe ~ Kate Southworth @kate_southworth ~ Cathy Ward  @wardsisterward ~ Sue Williams A’Court @suewilliamsacourt 

14 - 20 March 2026
Crypt Gallery, Norway Square, St Ives, Cornwall, TR26 1NA 

Hours: Saturday 4-7pm,  Sunday to Thursday 10-6pm ~ Friday 10-5pm 

Curator: Vivienne Roberts @mediumisticart - vivienneroberts.com
I’m excited to share the news that Tranceducers: A I’m excited to share the news that Tranceducers: Art of Visionaries. Mediums and Automatists will travel to St Ives in Cornwall in March where it will celebrate the connection of several of its artists to the town, as well as introducing many new ones. 

Tranceducers is an exploration of artistic practices shaped by alternative perceptions, otherworldly transmissions and intuitive mark-making. Spanning over 100 years it will feature historical pioneers and contemporary practitioners from around the world. 

“Tranceducers St Ives, proposes that the often overlooked visionary, the medium and the automatist are not peripheral to art history, but enduring figures whose insights can challenge, disrupt, heal and reawaken our enchantment with the world we now live in. This is an exhibition where the viewer plays a vital role, invited not merely to look, but to see beyond the surface. The works on display do not simply depict, they tranceduce, offering portals into alternative modes of perception and deeper realities.”

Artists: 
Melissa Alley @melissaalley.artist ~ Victor Bramley ~ Etty Buzyn ~ #IthellColquhoun ~ Madge Donohoe ~ Ernest J. Gerrard ~  Madge Gill @madge.gill ~ Amy Grantham @_amygrantham ~ Greg Humphries  @greghumphriesart ~ Aleksandra Ionowa @aleksandraionowa ~ #LouiseJanin ~ Nnena Kalu @actionspace ~ Josef Kotzian ~ Cara Macwilliam  @caramacwilliam_art ~ Cecilie Marková ~ Marianne McCarthy @marianne.mccarthy ~ Allen o2o Moore @alano_o2o ~ Jacque Moran ~ Chris Neate @mistertoad1 ~ Grace Pailthorpe ~ Kate Southworth @kate_southworth ~ Cathy Ward  @wardsisterward ~ Sue Williams A’Court @suewilliamsacourt 

14 - 20 March 2026
Crypt Gallery, Norway Square, St Ives, Cornwall, TR26 1NA 
Hours: Saturday 4-7pm,  Sunday to Thursday 10-6pm ~ Friday 10-5pm 
Curator: Vivienne Roberts @mediumisticart - vivienneroberts.com
Infinite Blue 💙curated by Anic Zanzi @cablausanne Infinite Blue 💙curated by Anic Zanzi @cablausanne 

“Laure Pigeon (1882-1965) started drawing at the age of 53. Like fellow spiritualist artists Madge Gill, Jeanne Tripier, Augustin Lesage and Raphaël Lonné, she believed that she had been “chosen” to convey messages from the beyond and claimed that her hands were guided by an outside entity. Through her creative process, Pigeon tapped into her unconscious, resurfacing memories that merged with products of her imagination.

Pigeon’s works - over 400 drawings in blue ink, many contained in sketchbooks- were only discovered after her death. They were saved from destruction, and subsequently acquired by Jean Dubuffet.

Pigeon’s oeuvre can be divided into two stylistic periods. Her early works feature interlacing lines that stretch and wind across the page like woven threads, tracing forms and the outlines of letters. The drawings she produced from 1953 onwards, meanwhile, feature shapes formed from densely packed lines and are dominated by the colour blue in all its shades: from the lightest tones to darker hues. 

This new exhibition covers Pigeon’s entire creative career, stretching over close to three decades, from 1935 to 1964. It includes a large number of the artist’s works, including some that have never been shown before. They all attest to Pigeon’s visual energy, assured hand and keen sense of composition.”

The exhibition has a great catalogue if you can get to Lausanne by February 1st. 

#laurepigeon
#mediumisticart 
#spiritdrawings
@cablausanne Collection de l’Art Brut and the extr @cablausanne Collection de l’Art Brut and the extraordinary dress made by @madge.gill
Celebrating the life and art of Barbara Herbin who Celebrating the life and art of Barbara Herbin who passed away this week, aged 73. Barbara was an extraordinary artist whose practice was integral to healing herself and others, particularly with her work on energy, dream symbols and art. Barbara did not feel the need to engage with the art market, but did want her legacy of over 2000 drawings to be saved to inspire others. In 2022 this happened as they entered the collection of The College of Psychic Studies in London. 

In her own words:

“In May 1991 I began to learn Qigong, an ancient Chinese system of movement and meditation that has powerful healing effects. Our Qigong lessons were divided into three sections. First of all a set of moving exercise, followed by a standing meditation, and finally spontaneous movement. All the exercises must be done with mental focus and attention. 

Through the practice of spontaneous movement I realised there was an intelligence and a vital force controlling my body that has the power to heal. This intelligence is not my every day waking mind; the mind that I usually identify as my “self”. Shortly after, I suddenly felt a strong urge to draw. I had never felt such a strong creative impulse before. 

What emerged was a series of wavy lines and spirals. I drew like this over the next few months and then suddenly found I was unable to stop drawing. It was as if a dam inside me had burst. I drew at every available moment. When I sat down to draw I never knew what I was going to draw, only that I had to do it. I just put pen to paper and drew; my mind was clear and focused. As I drew I knew instinctively what I should draw at this moment, but not how the drawing would turn out in the end. It was similar to my experience of spontaneous movement and I believe my Qigong practice triggered this outburst of creativity. I was not in a trance when I drew, I was fully awake and could control what was happening. The difference was that I did not try to control, plan or direct the outcome with my conscious mind. My mind stepped to one side and watched what was happening while my energy expressed itself. The whole process was effortless, enjoyable and endlessly fascinating for me.”
As 2025 retreats into the past, I want to thank th As 2025 retreats into the past, I want to thank the artists, past and present, whose visions continue to ripple through time. In mediumistic and visionary art, I am continually reminded that creation is an ongoing conversation - adopting a cosmic and universal language that nourishes the soul and bridges worlds.

I thank the historic artists whose voices we can still hear through their work, and you, the contemporary practitioners, who carry this sacred thread forward with curiosity, courage, and conviction.

To all whose art brings so much joy and wonder, may your 2026 be luminous and guided by a constellation of inspiration.

#HappyNewYear 

Images by:
Veronica Maxwell
Amy Grantham @_amygrantham 
Louise Janin 
Cara Macwilliam @caramacwilliam_art 
Anna Hackel
Cath Garrigue @cath_garrigue 
Chris Neate @mistertoad1 
Aleksandra Ionowa @aleksandraionowa 
Alma Rumball
Allen o2o Moore @alano_o2o
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
Follow on Instagram