Voyeur Ventures is pleased to announce Divine Wisdom: Femme Alchemy Through Contemporary Art and Performance, a group exhibition and evening of performances highlighting the cultivation of feminine knowledge and power through exploring identity, meditation, sexuality, psychedelics, and art. The exhibition will open with a reception and performance on February 16, from 6-9 pm, and works will be on view on February 17, from 1-4 pm, with an artist’s talk at 2 pm.
Curated by Samara Furlong, Divine Wisdom brings together five artists to create a celebration of feminine strength and occult practices and to explore an expansive conception of femme energy. Artworks on view include those by Shaina Kasztelan, Sara Nickleson, Olivia Guterson, Dawn Marie Smith, and Sedona Cohen. The works are accompanied by multiple activations from woman-led enterprises in the Detroit area, including tattoo models styled in Supernatural Lingerie, floral art by Four Leaf Clover Studios, aerial silks by Dari Blythe, a unique piano and vocal experience from Vanessa Cuccia, founder of Chakrubs, a DJ set by Petra Steele, Co-Founder of FemmeDom Detroit, and a Suzy Poling light installation. Drawing heavily from a roster of female artists working in Detroit, this exhibition serves to honor women claiming space for themselves and each other.
Meticulously organized by Furlong, each of the artists in this exhibition explores the role of woman as creator, with a unique capacity for sharing personal stories, exploring the mystical, and revealing feminine knowledge that hides in plain sight.
Artworks include:
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Shaina Kasztelan’s psychedelic dreamscapes, which initially appear colorful and sweet but contain darker undertones and provide commentary on consumerism
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Sara Nickleson’s paintings are formed through a process of world-building that is rooted in her studies of melancholia and consciousness, with care given to the fracturing of our natural environment.
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Olivia Guterson’s multidisciplinary work, which considers the idea of displacement and her complex Jewish-African identity, incorporating inspiration from her ancestors and significant objects such as her hairbrushes and afro picks
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Dawn Marie Smith’s pieces, which she understands to be incantations, a means of communicating with the collective consciousness and exploring the experience of grief
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Sedona Cohen’s paintings are utilized as a meditation that channels subtle energies and as the study of electricity, rebirth, healing, and spirituality mapped through dynamic symmetry.
“As curator, I explore how feminine power can be inculcated through art, meditation, sexuality, psychedelics, and other experiences,” said Samara Furlong, Founder of Voyeur Ventures. “These five artists channel energy and knowledge through their artistic processes into work that creates conversation and community. They are speaking to the collective consciousness and creating a space for growth and healing. Artmaking for these women is an alchemical process — a means for transforming the world around them and us.”