There’s been an abundance of magic, crystals, witches and tarot-themed art in London of late. Katie Tobin explores why so many artists are under the spell of the occult.
As someone who grew up next to the UK’s premiere witching village (Burley, New Forest), I’ve found the abundance of occultism in London’s art scene of late intriguing. Two paintings by Monica Sjöö – anarchist, ecofeminist and spiritual devotee of the Great Mother – are on display at Tate Britain’s ‘Women in Revolt!’ while her first UK solo show runs at Modern Art Oxford. Despite once earning herself a reputation as a ‘satanic ringleader’, Marina Abramović’s Royal Academy retrospective makes no secret of her obsession with shamanism, crystals and astrology. Mysticism and the occult in art seem to be inescapable right now – and I’m all here for it.
At the heart of occultism lies the witch, a subversive figure that incarnates the joys and pitfalls of womanhood. Once persecuted as sexual deviants who made deals with the devil, the witch has long been the site of projected patriarchal anxiety throughout history. Think of Anne Boleyn, for one, whose alleged crimes spanned from infidelity and incest to witchcraft and treason. Or Sybil Leek, Burley’s own resident witch, whose esoteric practices saw her so ostracised from her community that she fled to the US. These are the kinds of stories and folklore I devoured growing up.
