Witches cast spells, not to do evil, but to promote changes of consciousness. Witches cast spells as acts of redefinition.
To respell the world means to redefine the root of our being.
It means to redefine us and therefore change us by returning us to our original consciousness of magical-evolutionary processes.
Spirits of the Earth Sky and Underworld, 1996, Courtesy: © Monica Sjöö Estate
Alison Jacques is now hosting a new solo exhibition by the late pioneering artist, activist and writer Monica Sjöö. The exhibition coincides with Monica Sjöö’s first retrospective, The Great Cosmic Mother on view at Modern Art Oxford until 25 February 2024; and with Sjöö’s inclusion in Women in Revolt! at Tate Britain, on view until 7 April 2024.
The exhibition captures over 30 years of Sjöö’s work from 1976 up to 2003, showcasing both her paintings on canvas and paper. It reveals her sources of inspiration that span pre-Aztec and monumental Aztec sculptures, Catholic art, and the vibrant revolutionary paintings by artists including Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo.
The titles of Sjöö’s work in the exhibition – such as Women Becoming (1976), Child of the Mother-tree (1984) and Priestess at Tarxien Temple on Malta (2003) – highlight the core essence of her work: feminism and spiritualism. For Sjöö, landscapes are ‘full of spirits and the haunt of the powerful and most ancient…’
The Goddess and Green Man Tree of Life, 1997, Courtesy: © Monica Sjöö Estate
Cornwall, Ancient Land of the Goddess (1993) depicts a landscape populated with stones and enigmatic characters amidst green fields, tempered with colours that evoke the sea and that possibly allude to the blood spilled for deeply held beliefs.
In Sun Goddess at Stonehenge (1992), the famous giant stones are pictured beneath a floating mask, a gateway to a glowing, labyrinthine womb that shelters an embryo.
Cornwall Ancient Land of the Goddess, 1999 Courtesy: © Monica Sjöö Estate
Monica Sjöö was a co-founder of the Goddess movement, self-described as a ‘radical anarcho/eco-feminist and Goddess artist, writer and thinker involved in Earth spirituality’. As an activist, Sjöö co-founded Bristol’s Women’s Liberation, and protested against the Vietnam War and the US missile base at Greenham Common.
Sjöö dedicated her life ‘to creating paintings that speak of women’s lives, our history and sacredness’, communicating with what she called ‘the ancient sisterhood’ of pre-patriarchal Goddess societies and portraying women as strong and life-giving. And yet many of her paintings and drawings are also tender evocations of grief.
This exhibition traces how, throughout her work, she combined her personal symbology with archetypes, references to pre-patriarchal societies and the power of nature. A self-taught artist, she was a firm believer that creativity was a conduit to the wisdom of the past and to possibilities for the future.
Priestess at Tarxien Temple on Malta, 2003, Courtesy: © Monica Sjöö Estate
To coincide with the exhibition, Linsey Young (Curator of Contemporary British Art at Tate, and curator of Women in Revolt!, currently on view at the Tate Britain, London), alongside Annie Johnston (Chief Archivist and Manager of the Monica Sjöö Estate) will lead a walkthrough of the exhibition on Saturday 17 February at 12pm. Spaces are free but limited – click here to RSVP.
Monica Sjöö will be at London’s Alison Jacques Gallery, 22 Cork Street, W1S 3NG, until March 9 2024.
All images via Alison Jacques.
