Paula Rego explores the importance of the witch in art

The LAMB gallery, in London, will open, in November, the exhibition "Surrealism and Witchcraft", which will bring together works by 10 women artists inspired by Surrealism, including the Portuguese Paula Rego, to analyze the figure of the witch in art.

Beside Paula Rego there will be the names of Alma Berrow, Bea Bonafini, Leonora Carrington, Harriet Gillett, Arianne Hughes, Tali Lennox, Nooka Shepherd, Sophie von Hellermann and Georg Wilson.

"The works [to be presented] range from the beginnings of the [surrealist] movement to the present, highlighting in particular the feminist meaning of the witch through pieces that, ironically, unveil the Freudian symbolism of these women who fly on broomsticks", you can read in a statement released by the British gallery.

According to the gallery, the exhibition will be on display between November 16th and December 20th and will bring together "pre-existing works by canonical voices such as Paula Rego with new works by emerging talents", to show the evolution of witch portraits, with 90% of the pieces being new.

Despite the male predominance in Surrealism, "women have long used its practices to unleash the creative potential of their subconscious minds, with Mexico representing an early core of female Surrealists that included Frida Kahlo, Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo and others".

"Often drawing on the figure of the witch, the magical entity gradually became a vehicle for women artists to unleash the depths of their dreams and explore ideas of gender and sexuality," the gallery added.

Source: culturaaominuto