Ben Oakley Gallery | 9 Greenwich Market | Turnpin Ln | London | SE10 9JA​

11 - 7pm | Wed – Sun | 03.08.22 – 28.08.22

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EVENTS

Launch Event | 6 - 10pm | 05.08.22 | Performances

 

Spiritualism, occult, paganism, mysticism, esotericism – these are just a few of the different manifestations of ‘the restistant woman’ that have dramatically increased in contemporary art practices and exhibitions in recent years. Historically, women resisting patriarchy were labelled witches, and practicing ‘evil’ occult rituals. Today, this figure, and the associated practices, has re-emerged enlivened by feminist, environmental and post-colonial interpretations and perspectives. 

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Spirit Within, is a multidisciplinary exhibition bringing together the practices of eight women artists: Alexi Marshall, Anna Sebastian, Hazel Florez, Kendall Jones, Mafalda Figueiredo, Olivia Mansfield, Rosie McLachlan, and Salomé Wu. The exhibition showcases a unique, multidisciplinary insight into how contemporary women artists draw upon themes of mysticism, spirituality, tradition, and the occult, through a distinctly feminist lens. 

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Although mysticism and spirituality can be treated as a subset within the larger category of the occult, there exists a prominent independent mystical tradition with a long history in both Eastern and Western culture. Mysticism, astrology, magic, tarot, and alchemy are among the rituals and belief systems that have been historically excluded to present a more hegemonic and ‘dominant’ perspective – that of the patriarchy and other knowledge and belief systems such as religion. 

The exhibition reveals our own relationships with occult practices and experiences, no matter how small, and encourages us to view them within the wider feminist and historical context. Themes explored in the exhibition include power, dreams, femininity, memory, the sublime, and knowledge-sharing. 

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It is both a constant resource for feminists and for audiences alike to marvel at the many approaches to mysticism and spirituality. This exhibition, and the artists who partake, evoke the inexpressible through both form and aesthetics, and ultimately help lift the veil on a powerful practice and feminist history.