Events

Magic permeates language and everyday life. We talk about the magic of certain moments, or of things having an inherent magic. Occult motifs, astrology, and esoteric practices such as tarot card reading are also enjoying a resurgence in mainstream popular culture. However, this apparent new trend on social media actually has a long-standing tradition. Although mystical, spiritual, and esoteric aspects and interests have often been dismissed as superstition and as being incompatible with modern scientific values—even sanctioned as a disturbance of established orders—they also have a long tradition in art and culture. With growing introspection and spiritual sensitivity, as well as the diversification and globalization of the art world in recent decades, activist and feminist concerns in particular are becoming increasingly linked to spiritual, magical, and occult perspectives. What was once dismissed as irrational, superstitious, or folkloric is now gaining cultural and political significance, serving artists as both an aesthetic strategy and a form of self-empowerment and emancipation from capitalist and patriarchal structures.