PUBLICATION ANNOUNCEMENT
Magic in the Modern World
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“In our scientifically-minded modern world, little room is left for the the mystical, the esoteric, and the magical, but we contend that such things, irrational as they may be, are fundamental to the human experience and necessary liminal spaces in which people experience joy, process trauma, or otherwise work through complicated emotions that a rationalistic society is not set up to handle, if it doesn’t actively reject them.”
Taking a broad view of magic and drawing from multiple histories, the book, Magic in the Modern World, proposes a way to think about magic in the 21st century, what it means to communities, and how it negotiates itself in systems of power. Generously illustrated, the book features the artwork of fifteen collage artists and dozens of historical images. The book asks, What role can artists play in nurturing and supporting magic traditions?
Ric Kasini Kadour wrote, “Through our artwork, we can share stories, demystify histories, reinforce ancestral or community connections, and celebrate magical practices in ways that are safe, comfortable, and legible. We can make visible cosmologies other than those of the prevailing culture and hold space for alternative worldviews. At various times, such work can be profound acts of resistance, caring, or celebration. With its history of surrealism, collage in particular lends itself to this work.”
On Saturday, 10 August 2024 6-9PM during Second Saturday, Kolaj Institute hosted a book launch for Magic in the Modern World. At 7PM, Kadour made a brief presentation about the book and New Orleans artists Caroline Alterman and Ariya Aladjem Wolf spoke about their work.
On Sunday, 25 August 2024, 2-4PM EDT, a Kolaj LIVE Online event also launched the book, featuring discussion between Ric Kasini Kadour and some of the artists featured in the book.
ARTISTS
Ariya Aladjem Wolf (New Orleans, Louisiana) | Jenn Arras (Brooklyn, New York) | Caroline Alterman (New Orleans, Louisiana) | Debi A Barton Haverly (Springfield, Vermont) | Rodney Boone (San Pedro, California) | Bridgette Bramlage (Chicago, Illinois) | Tracy Casagrande Clancy (Cincinnati, Ohio) | Jennifer Evans (Denver, Colorado) | Lela Goldstein (Scottsdale, Arizona) | Ric Kasini Kadour (New Orleans, Louisiana & Montreal, Quebec) | Jennifer G. Lai (Brooklyn, New York) | Johanna Merfeld (Great Barrington, Massachusetts) | Alexandra Montclair (Astoria, New York) | Vanessa L Moore (East Orange, New Jersey) | Ihosvany Plasencia (Miami, Florida) | LaVonna Varnado Brown (New Orleans, Louisiana) | Alicia Zapata (Chicago, Illinois)
Magic in the Modern World
Text by Ric Kasini Kadour
Details: 2024 | 116 pages | 9″x6″ | ISBN 978-1-927587-73-7
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ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Magic in the Modern World
1 June-11 August 2024
at Kolaj Institute Gallery in New Orleans, Louisiana USA
In Fall 2023, Kolaj Institute invited collage artists to visit New Orleans and explore magic as a cultural idea, an ancestral tradition, a construct used by power to subjugate, and as a practice used by others to resist colonization and capitalism. Writer Arthur C. Clarke said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” While Clarke was looking backwards, the artwork in this exhibition considers the role of magic in our contemporary, modern communities and what role it may play in the future.
The exhibition, “Magic in the Modern World”, which was on display at Kolaj Institute Gallery, 1 June-11 August 2024, speaks to honoring ancestors; tapping cultural magic; cosmology and life building; the power of womanhood; the quietude of modern magic; the practice of offerings and rituals; magical colors; spirit animals; magic in the diaspora; punishment of magic and the persecution of witches; and care for spiritual beings.
Also included in this exhibition was Jennifer Evans’ A Memorial to Witches of Dumfries located in the New Orleans Healing Center next door, to the left of the front entrance, across from Island of Salvation Botanica.
This exhibition was curated by Ric Kasini Kadour. Artists in the exhibition are Caroline Alterman, Rodney Boone, Lela Goldstein, Alexandra Montclair, Johanna Merfeld, Bridgette Bramlage, Ariya Aladjem Wolf, Vanessa L Moore, Debi A Barton Haverly, Jennifer G. Lai, Ihosvany Plasencia, Alicia Zapata, Jennifer Evans, Ric Kasini Kadour, and LaVonna Varnado Brown.
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INFORMATION
Kolaj Institute Gallery
Suite 230
2374 Saint Claude Avenue
New Orleans, Louisiana 70117 USA
Hours:
Thursday-Saturday, Noon-6PM
and by appointment