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    Conversational Spirits I

    Jessica Silverman is pleased to present “Conversational Spirits,” a two-part summer group show, featuring work that explores “animism,” the belief that animals, plants, places and objects are imbued with spirits.

    Animism is a relevant analogy for the agency, intensity and energy embodied by great art. When the trees whisper and birds sing, when abstraction breathes, when a painted portrait questions your sense of self, spirits are not far away.

    Artists in Part 1 of
    "Conversational Spirits":
    • Andrea Bowers
    • Luke Butler
    • Judy Chicago
    • Conrad Egyir
    • Matthew Angelo Harrison
    • John Houck
    • Dashiell Manley
    • Eamon Ore-Giron
    • Lam Tung Pang
    • Hayal Pozanti
    • Clare Rojas
    • Lara Schnitger
    • Davina Semo
    • Wang Shui
    • Rose B. Simpson
    • Margo Wolowiec
    Associated with the worship of nature and the elevation of subordinated souls, animism is a theme broadly relevant to a moment in which equal rights, environmentalism and the neuroscience of our mammalian brains are of urgent concern.
    As a traditional belief system Animism is a global phenomenon, common to indigenous peoples around the world. It survives in vestigial ways in large scale religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Judeo-Christian ritual.
    Animistic entities have strong characters. They are enlivened by social awareness and a yearning to communicate. Some command power; others are driven by a mission.
    On June 30, artists Andrea Bowers, Rose B. Simpson and Lara Schnitger discussed how their work intersects with questions of animate matter, animism, and the spirituality of politics. The session was moderated by Julia Bryan-Wilson, Professor of Art History at University of California, Berkeley. Click below to access the recording of the panel discussion.

    Panel discussion: A Conversation about Conversational Spirits
    Andrea Bowers's Nonviolent Civil Disobedience Training—Tree Sitting Forest Defense.