Spiritual, Occult, Magical—Feminine! How artists have mobilized the association between women and magic to challenge ideas of sexuality and gender identity.

From witches and clairvoyants to high priestesses, femininity and the magical are inextricably linked in cultures across the globe. This age-old connection has long shaped beliefs and notions of femininity, while also creating a pretext for demonizing women that reinforced patriarchal social structures. For artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, associations between women and the occult have offered an exciting opportunity to explore themes such as body and gender, women’s sexuality, and the essentialization of gender identity—often from a feminist perspective. This book is a must-have now that occult themes and rituals are enjoying a comeback in mainstream culture.

This book includes works by Myrlande Constant, Cordula Ditz, Mary Beth Edelson, Bev Grant / W.I.T.C.H., Vivian Greven, Rebecca Horn, Ana Mendieta, Zanele Muholi, Wangechi Mutu, Rosana Paulino, Paloma Proudfoot, Gillian Wearing, and Portia Zvavahera.