FACETS OF BEING

Shoot The Lobster LA presents Facets of Being, a solo exhibition of eleven spells by the Los Angeles based alchemist L.

Facets of Being is the third in a trinity of exhibitions: Facets of Endarkenment at Stems Gallery, Brussels - and Facets of Enlightenment at Marlborough Contemporary, New York. The vessels and incantations of the previous shows addressed states of the individual and collective psyche in relation to transcendence.

These new spells link the astral, divine, and earth-bound realms. They primarily manifest material events and things related to the everyday needs and desires of being human. Some seem paradoxical at first glance. One spell for fullness, is full of empty bottles. Another for beauty and alchemical integration, is full of garbage that was gathered by L on a littered mountain trail. Every item that is placed into the vessels has a specific magical function, which often creates peculiar juxtapositions. Sometimes the materials are altered or charged in ritual before the spell is cast.

When the objects are combined into their respective microcosms, suspended in oil, they produce a cumulative energy that is greater than their individual essence. The floating vessels, in their unified configuration within the space, form an elliptical cycle that orbits around the body of the visitor. In the creation of these spells, L has drawn upon knowledge obtained from years of research and personal practice of folk and ceremonial magic, superstitious ritual, and esotericism.