Guest Curator: Annika Early
Hex, Hex!
Julia Arredondo, Annika Earley, Siri Kaur, and Maria Molteni
Exhibition Opening Reception October 26,2023 5-7 PM
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I’m fascinated by the archetype of the witch: healer, menace, doulah of life and death, keeper of wisdom and arcane knowledge, seducer, oracle, fury, helper…whichever role the witch embodies (and sometimes it is a mixture of many), it is one of otherworldly power. Having grown up in Switzerland where folklore is infused into all manner of daily life, I feel deep kinship with the witch. Much of my work is focused on fairy and folklore that feature the classic Western Germanic archetype of the lone witch at the edge of the woods who might heal your ailments or devour your children depending on the day. I’m drawn to the mixture of fear and fun between which the witch balances.
For Hex, Hex! I’ve invited three artists to join me in exploring how incarnations and powers of the witch show up in contemporary art.
Julia Arredondo’s talismans are an exercise in manufacturing magic through material objects. Inspired by botánica goods and the ability to purchase amuletic objects, Arredondo’s talismans are equally humorous and serious, clear and mysterious — something I find especially appropriate in the context of our contemporary culture in which access to the internet has dissolved linear time (a sort of witchcraft in its own right).
Siri Kaur’s She Tells All features images made while Kaur immersed herself in Los Angeles’s occult community. Kaur describes the work as a “timely and revealing look at contemporary mystics, material culture, and the nature of identity itself.” The images have a subtle unsettling air to them, invoking the power and allure of the witch through their atmospheric compositions.
Maria Molteni’s Counting to Infinity: Sweeping Stars (Contando All’Infinito: Stelle Scopa) reconstructs Molteni’s favorite Italian card game Scopa, which translates to “broom” or “to sweep” in Italian. Along with the deck, Molteni created a series of fifty drawings of counting hands that correspond with both the numbers of scopa cards and the beads in a catholic rosary (a practice that played a large role in Molteni’s upbringing). Stelle Scopa deftly mixes histories of witchcraft, religion, and games into something entirely fresh and enchanting.
Together, our works show the complex and multifaceted roles that the witch embodies throughout history, and how present and palpable these roles still are today.
-Annika Earley
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