
Magic
Beyond the Supernatural in Contemporary Art
Amy Hale(Author)
Tate Publishing
Will be published approx. on 1. October 2026
Book
Hardback
196 pages
978-1-917055-27-7 (ISBN)
Description
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.
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.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
Plates, color; Illustrations, color
Dimensions
Height: 246 mm
Width: 189 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-917055-27-7 (9781917055277)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Dr Amy Hale is an Atlanta-based writer, curator, and critic, ethnographer and folklorist, speaking and writing about esoteric history, magic, art, culture, women and Cornwall. She writes and speaks on topics as diverse as psychogeography, Pagan religious tourism, colour theory, and politics in modern Paganism.
Hale has written widely on the surrealist and occultist Ithell Colquhoun, and in 2009 she received a grant from the Paul Mellon Foundation for her research. As a gallery writer and essayist, she has contributed essays for Tate, Burlington Contemporary, The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Correspondences Journal, Camden Arts Centre, Art UK, Arusha Galleries, Heavenly Records and Spike Island, Bristol. She is an exhibition consultant for the upcoming exhibition on Colquhoun at Tate St Ives.
Hale has written widely on the surrealist and occultist Ithell Colquhoun, and in 2009 she received a grant from the Paul Mellon Foundation for her research. As a gallery writer and essayist, she has contributed essays for Tate, Burlington Contemporary, The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Correspondences Journal, Camden Arts Centre, Art UK, Arusha Galleries, Heavenly Records and Spike Island, Bristol. She is an exhibition consultant for the upcoming exhibition on Colquhoun at Tate St Ives.