Hilma’s Ghost will showcase its work at an upcoming exhibition in Detroit and is highlighted in a new book exploring the Western art witch movement.
Grace Under Fire
Hilma’s Ghost, the feminist artist collective led by Estella Loomis McCandless Assistant Professor of Art Sharmistha Ray and Dannielle Tegeder, will be featured in the group exhibition “Grace Under Fire,” opening on October 24, 2024, at the Shepherd in Detroit. Presented by Library Street Collective and The Bunker Artspace, and curated by Kyle DeWoody, Laura Dvorkin, and Maynard Monrow, this exhibition brings together more 40 artists exploring themes of hope and healing amid a world rife with pain and injustice.
As part of the exhibition, Hilma’s Ghost presents two works from its Sigils and Thought Forms series, which merges concepts of spirituality and magic to explore the visualization of thoughts and the symbolic representations that inform our desired outcomes. Drawing on historical ideas of sigils — symbols representing deities or intentions — and thought forms, Ray and Tegeder created 28 charged sigils that embody qualities like Abundance and Love. Their work emphasizes color symbolism and the unconscious influences that these symbols can have on reality, creating a dialogue between art and spiritual practice.
Art & Magic
Hilma’s Ghost is also featured as a case study in the newly released academic book “Art & Magic: Curating the Western Art Witch Movement” by Kathryn Turley-Sonne, published by Brill. Chapter 4 is dedicated to the collective, showcasing its contributions and impact within the broader context of contemporary feminist art.
Left: Hilma’s Ghost, Abundance, Gouache, ink and colored pencil on Fabriano Murillo paper, 20.5 x 22.5 inches, 2024. Right: Hilma’s Ghost, Community, Gouache, ink and colored pencil on Fabriano Murillo paper, 20.5 x 22.5 inches, 2024