In his 2022 article, The Return of Magic in Art, J.J. Charlesworth writes that the past decade “has seen a shift of attention in contemporary art: magic, mysticism and spirituality, animism, the figure of the witch, the medium and the shaman, have all made a return to art.” [1]

The historian Michael D. Bailey states that magic is a “discernible aspect of human culture, [however] obscure it may be” and he emphasises the interdisciplinary benefits of this topic, therefore my practice-led research is an investigation into how these discernible traces of magic are being redefined in contemporary art and moving away from historical marginalisation. [2]

During my BFA I researched Leonora Carrington and Ithell Colquhoun as they intersect with historical Surrealism, Celtic folklore and magic. My research was strongly influenced by the work of Dr. Amy Hale who argues that a continuing reassessment of women’s role in art history has helped to elevate magic into the realm of serious academic study [3].

Significant to my MFA research is the National Art School’s historical connection to the Witch of Kings Cross, Rosaleen Norton (1917-1979), who studied at this institution for two years. Norton’s artistic legacy has international appeal as she was exhibited alongside Leonora Carrington and Ithell Colquhoun in London in 2025 [4]. Her artistic legacy is overdue a reconsideration and part of my research is an attempt to recontextualise her for the contemporary.

My personal interest in magic evolved from experiences living in the west of Ireland for an extended period of time where I encountered a form of vernacular religion common to these areas, a version of Roman Catholicism that has retained practices and concepts linked to magic that sit outside Christian orthodoxy. My adult life has been spent in Sydney’s inner-west, close to the suburb of Newtown, which has a diverse community replete with subcultures, radical politics and alternative ways of living. Through these local connections I have encountered figures associated with magic: the artist Vali Myers (Australia), the writer Nevill Drury (Australia), political activist Starhawk (USA), and the prominent contemporary witch, Janet Farrar (UK/Ireland)

References:

1. Charlesworth, JJ. “The Return of Magic in Art”. ArtReview, May 2022. https://artreview.com/the-return-of-magic-in-art/

2. Bailey, Michael D. Magic: The Basics. London: Routledge, 2018.

3. Hale, Amy. “Communist witches and cyborg magic: the emergence of queer, feminist, esoteric futurism.” Burlington Contemporary, June 2022. https://contemporary.burlington.org.uk/journal/journal/communist-witches-and-cyborg-magic-the-emergence-of-queer-feminist-esoteric-futurism

4. The Last Tuesday Society. “Four Witches & a Warlock: Magickal Art by Rosaleen Norton, Ithell Colquhoun, Madge Gill, Leonora Carrington & Austin Osman Spare.” https://thelasttuesdaysociety.org/exhibition/4-witches-and-a-warlock/