Dear members, for our next meeting we would like to invite you to an open discussion. 

For this occasion, we would like to think about the role of the artist in the contemporary world. Just to provide some examples, Annalisa Burello suggested the role, or perhaps the archetype, of Marina Abramović is that of the artist healer and the contemporary shaman. Fay Brauer's talk suggested that František Kupka believed he was the receiver of astral communication. For him, art was not just about depicting what can be seen but about capturing the forces, energies, and rhythms that lie beneath the surface of material existence. According to Alex Grey, the artist is a conduit for the divine, tasked with expressing higher truths and bridging the material and spiritual worlds. Similarly, Wassilly Kandinsky believed that artists were vessels for conveying spiritual realities. In his view, the artist had a duty to communicate the inner, non-material world to others, helping humanity evolve spiritually. Art, for him, was a way to express the soul’s movement and reach beyond the physical world. Anselm Kiefer considers art as a medium for philosophical inquiry, where the artist explores existential questions about life, death, spirituality, and the nature of existence. His art often weaves together references to mythology, religion, alchemy, and literature, suggesting that the artist’s role is to probe the mysteries of the human experience and translate them into visual form. This deep exploration of symbolic meaning elevates the artist’s role to that of a philosopher. However he also claims art is spiritual. Hilma af Klint on the other hand saw herself as a conduit for higher spiritual energies. She believed that her art was not created solely by her own volition but was guided by spirits or higher entities, often referring to her abstract works as being “commissioned” by these spiritual forces. For af Klint, the artist was a medium who could access invisible dimensions of existence and convey these realms through visual art. For Bill Viola, spirituality plays a central role in his work. Influenced by Eastern and Western spiritual traditions, including Buddhism, Christianity, and Sufism, Viola believes that the artist has a role as a spiritual seeker and guide. The artist's work should not only reflect personal spiritual journeys but also guide viewers in their own contemplative and existential reflections. Viola’s art often invokes themes of transformation, the afterlife, and the metaphysical, offering viewers a space for introspection and spiritual awakening.These are just some examples of (spiritually concerned) artists' views of their roles, where sometimes the differences are very subtle.

We also have a couple of announcements that we hope you'll appreciate. For non members, we have replaced the compulsory participation fee of £4 with a voluntary donation. Furthermore, INSS has introduced a lower level of annual membership of £25 which will give access to the online journal and a discounted price for the upcoming conference in 2025. We hope that you will consider joining our organisation and participate numerously to our SIGs. In fact, we are soon to start the Spirituality and Education SIG, which will be our fourth one. 

Join our  Facebook Group called Spirituality and the Arts using this link. 

For more details, see https://spiritualitystudiesnetwork.org/Spirituality-and-the-Arts-SIG

The SIG Chairs: the Rev. Prof. June Boyce-Tillman, Dr Lila Moore, Annalisa Burello MSc. 

The video recording of the event will be available on our YouTube channel Spirituality and the Arts Special Interest Group 

Join our  Facebook Group called Spirituality and the Arts using this link. 

For more details, see https://spiritualitystudiesnetwork.org/Spirituality-and-the-Arts-SIG

The SIG Chairs: the Rev. Prof. June Boyce-Tillman, Dr Lila Moore, Annalisa Burello.