WHEN : 23rd May, 6:00pm
WHERE : Institute of Modern Art
Darren Jorgensen (University of Western Australia) traces a history of esoteric art in Australia, looking at how Norman Lindsay, Danie Mellor, and others mobilise ritual images in their work. Yet in synthesising different ritual traditions—Christian, indigenous, Masonic, pagan, and sex magic—these artists fall short of being either gods or acolytes. Jorgenson’s paper argues that this failure explains some of the tensions and discontinuities within Australian art history.