Leonora Carrington & The Surrealist Occult

Exploring the esoteric universe of Leonora Carrington: alchemy, Tarot, mythology & the occult roots of her visionary art.

Leonora Carrington & The Surrealist Occult

L'Space is pleased to welcome Melissa Madara for a lecture on the esoteric universe of Leonora Carrington. This lecture explores the metaphysical foundations of Carrington's art, situating her within the broader occult currents that ran through the Surrealist movement. From alchemy, hermeticism, and Kabbalah to Celtic mythology, Tarot symbolism, and mystical cosmologies, join us in exploring the rich constellation of esoteric influences that helped shape Carrington’s visionary alternative to rationalism, marking her as a revolutionary and singular voice in both art and occult history.

Leonora Carrington's extraordinary artistic universe exists within the circle of her esoteric philosophy. Populated by enigmatic animals, female magicians, alchemical themes, and dream-like symbolism, her works move beyond the aesthetics of the occult to access something real and subterranean within her own psychic landscape. While she is celebrated as one of the most prominent female Surrealists, Carrington's work emerges from an engagement with esoteric traditions that moved beyond sensationalism, challenging conventional notions of reality, consciousness, and the magical power of art.