Magic : Beyond the Supernatural in Contemporary Art

A lavishly illustrated magical volume and a potent talisman, exploring threads between magic and contemporary art across the globe.

Step beyond the familiar language of mysticism, and into a transformative terrain where art and magic actively converge. In this compelling publication, Amy Hale charts a course through the practices of contemporary artists who engage deeply with the esoteric – not as ornament, but as method, philosophy and lived experience. Through performances, painting, photography, sculpture and ritual spaces, Hale uncovers a vibrant network of artists for whom magic is neither archaic nor abstract, but immediate and operative. These artists invoke ancestral knowledge, experiment with altered states, and reimagine spiritual traditions for the future, embedding them into the very fabric of their work. What emerges is not a hidden history, but a present reality: a field of practice where the boundaries between art and magic dissolve and creativity itself becomes an act of enchantment.