Vivienne Roberts on Mediumistic Art and the Power of Visionary Practices
On September 1, 2023, art historian Vivienne Roberts will present her lecture titled 'Medium e visionari: l’arte come portale verso l’invisibile' at the Festival della Mente in Sarzana, focusing on the connection between art and the unseen. Previously a curator at the College of Psychic Studies, she has organized exhibitions such as 'Strange Things Among Us' (2021) and 'Creative Spirits' (2022). This talk will precede her contribution to the catalog of 'Fata Morgana: memorie dall’invisibile,' a significant exhibition at Palazzo Morando in Milan, running from October 9 to November 30, 2025, featuring over seventy artists. Roberts explores how women mediums utilized spiritualism for recognition and posits that mediumistic art connects the tangible with the intangible, providing solace and healing.
Key facts
- Vivienne Roberts is a leading expert on mediumistic art and former curator at the College of Psychic Studies in London.
- She will speak at the Festival della Mente in Sarzana on 'Medium e visionari: l’arte come portale verso l’invisibile.'
- Roberts curated exhibitions including 'Strange Things Among Us' (2021), 'Creative Spirits' (2022), and 'Tranceducers: Art of Visionaries, Mediums and Automatists.'
- She is a member of the British Art Network and the Visionary Women Research Group at the University of Barcelona.
- Her talk anticipates her essay for the catalog of 'Fata Morgana: memorie dall’invisibile' at Palazzo Morando, Milan, from October 9 to November 30, 2025.
- The exhibition is organized by Fondazione Nicola Trussardi and curated by Massimiliano Gioni, Daniel Birnbaum, and Marta Papini.
- It features over seventy artists including Hilma af Klint, Carol Rama, Judy Chicago, and Kiki Smith.
- Roberts argues that mediumistic art offers a bridge between material and immaterial worlds and is an antidote to screen culture.
Entities
Artists
- Vivienne Roberts
- Hilma af Klint
- Carol Rama
- Judy Chicago
- Kiki Smith
- Georgiana Houghton
- Anna Howitt Watts
- Raffaello
- Tiziano
- Madge Gill
- Madge Donohoe
- Cara Macwilliam
- Annie Besant
Institutions
- College of Psychic Studies
- British Art Network
- Visionary Women Research Group
- University of Barcelona
- Fondazione Nicola Trussardi
- Palazzo Morando
- Festival della Mente
- Artribune
Locations
- Sarzana
- Italy
- London
- United Kingdom
- Milan
- Barcelona
- Spain