Sabat 6: Waiting For The Temple

A fascinating combination of witchcraft, feminism, ancient archetypes and instant art radiates from the pages of cult magazine, Sabat. The publication seeks to explore the darker side of femininity through atmospheric photography and enigmatic context, infusing esoteric high fashion references through styling and art direction. Initially inspired by the #witchesofinstagram, Sabat Magazine is the result of the desire to participate further in the mysticore trend, producing an intriguing publication which beautifully embeds both a contemporary and conceptual take on witchcraft.

In this issue:

Inspired by the esoteric inclinations of Swedish painter Hilma af Klint, we are curating an exhibition and catalogue where six artists present their visions of modern Witchcraft and feminism. With disciplines ranging from photography to sculpture and painting to performance, each of The Six present their personal Witchcraft for the future. One of the instigators of this project was artist Luna Ece Bal. Drawing on her aunt’s notebooks filled with channelling work and automatic writing and inspired by af Klint’s spirit channelling practice, she has reinterpreted the spiritual information using ebru – a marbling technique from her native Turkey. Her almost cellular shapes are created from earthen pigments and mediate on concepts of energy transference and making the invisible, visible. French duo Camille Tallent and Lia Pradal dwell on similar themes. Referencing analogue camcorder horror they venture into the forest at night to document the unknown or the imperceptible, capturing the esoteric evidence on tape.

Diving into a mysterious mermaid past, New Zealand-born artist Cherry Lazar explores a very personal mythology through photography and digital collage. Her trio of photographs form visual representations of her earliest downloads from an aquatic entity and the first step to uncovering a lost Atlantis. Also immersed in a world of ancient myth, French artist Matthias Garcia’s triptych explores the ambivalent meaning of the Greek word Elpis, or hope, the only thing left in Pandora’s box after all ills escaped. Depicting the lush inside of the Box filled with this ambivalent hope, Garcia uncovers his own relationship with reality and rationality, safety and illusion.

In her panoramic painting, Maria Torres depicts a feminine power scene that points to the realm of mystery and intuition and the limit to our understanding. Populated by women from Torres’ life, some public personas, others her close friends, each woman represents an individual way of living out the feminine and a healing presence in the world. Last but not least, Uhuru-Matahari’s evening performance showcases their handmade headpieces and costumes and delves into deep consciousness and awareness of the feminine principle and mother nature. Channelling a crowned goddess of the dark cosmic womb, the performance aims to unveil and awaken the primordial inner goddess in us all, while seeking a balance between the divine feminine and masculine.

*Digital colour of fabric and foil may deviate from original.