Art of the French Occult Revival: Joséphin Péladan and the power of Symbolist art – Dr Sasha Chaitow

this talk focuses on his concept of the role of art and artists and their power to effect individual and social change according to his esoteric-aesthetic philosophy

Trolls in Scandinavian 1800’s Art – Lena Heide-Brennand

this intertwines artistic mastery with mythical folklore, shedding light on the rich and intriguing portrayals of these legendary beings

An essential guide to Viking culture and traditions – Lena Heide-Brennand

In this lecture we will step into the captivating world of the Vikings and delve into their rich culture and enduring traditions

Franz Kafka and his view on life – Lena Heide-Brennand

a lecture that aims to wake an engaging exploration of Kafka's perspective on life, where the ordinary is transformed into the extraordinary

Count Stenbock: Decadent master of the macabre – a Zoom talk by James Machin

An introductory Zoom talk by James Machin on the decadent writer of strange tales, Count Stenbock – 'scholar, connoisseur, drunkard, poet, pervert, most charming of men'

Medieval Mermaids – a Zoom talk with Professor Sarah Peverley

This illustrated Zoom talk will explore the Medieval history of one of the most popular and long-lived of all the mythical creatures that humans have invented.

The Black Death and how it ruled the world – Lena Heide-Brennand

In this lecture we dive into the haunting history of the Black Death and explore how this devastating plague swept across the world

Painting British Folk Customs – Ben Edge

Join Ben Edge for this Zoom talk as he takes you into the heart of British Folklore and shares his own journey as an artist and gives insights into his creative practice

Art - Past Digital Events

Queer as Folklore – a Zoom talk with Sacha Coward

To mark LGBT+ History Month, Sacha Coward takes us on an illustrated Zoom talk through the hidden queer history of myths and monsters.

Surrealist Themes in the Comic Book Art of Alejandro Jodorowsky – Amy Slonaker

Please join Amy Slonaker for an illustrated lecture on the Surrealist themes in the comic book art of Alejandro Jodorowsky (1929- )

Mermaids across the Millennia – a Zoom talk with Professor Sarah Peverley

This illustrated Zoom talk will explore one of the most popular and long-lived of all the mythical creatures that humans have invented.

Model turned artist: Sara Cooper on Eileen Mayo

Eileen Mayo (1906–94) was a dedicated and multi-talented artist – at once a painter, print-maker, tapestry designer, engraver and illustrator

“Colors are Forces, the Signatures of the Forces”: Esoteric Theories of Color and Modern Art – Dr Amy Hale

This lecture will explore the ways that esoteric understandings of color as an entity and force developed through Neoplatonic thought

Nina Hamnett: Life or Art? The Challenge of Writing about Women Artists by Alicia Foster

Nina Hamnett (1890–1956) was an artist, illustrator and writer who was associated with the bohemian and avant-garde circles of the London

Pin buttons and Protests: Katy Norris on the Art of Sylvia Pankhurst

Sylvia Pankhurst was raised in a socialist household and sought to lead a creative life.

A Hat for Eating Bouillabaisse: The Surreal world of Eileen Agar by Laura Smith

Eileen Agar was an artist who explored painting, photography, collage and sculpture. Her independent and inventive experiments

Circus Troupes and Parachutes: The Many Lives of Laura Knight with Alice Strickland

Laura Knight (1877–1970) was an English Realist painter who documented life and culture in Britain during the first half of the twentieth century.

Geomitica – the Mythology of Shape – Adrian Fisher

It creatively combines surface shapes with artistic and allegorical narrative. Parables and symbolism abound.

“Man, woman or vegetable growth?” Lucy Howarth on Rediscovering Marlow Moss

Marlow Moss (1889–1958) was a British Constructivist artist and a central figure in the development of European non-figurative art.

Inventing the Green Man – a Zoom talk with Dr Alex Woodcock

In this illustrated Zoom talk Dr Alex Woodcock will explore one of the most familiar images from medieval art.

From Buttons to Bowls: Isabella Smith on Ceramicist Lucie Rie

In this exciting new introduction by Isabella Smith, Lucie Rie’s tumultuous life is explored through her extraordinary work.

“I’d rather take a picture than be one”: Lee Miller by Ami Bouhassane

Lee Miller (1907-1977) was a fashion model, a photo-journalist and an artist who captured extraordinary moments of modern life.

Leonora Carrington in Spain by Carlos Martin

Curator Carlos Martin will discuss Leonora Carrington's retrospective in Madrid.

The Artist as Medium – Jacqui McIntosh

In this illustrated talk she will examine key works by artists such as Yves Tanguy, Ithell Colquhoun, Austin Osman Spare & Ann Churchill

The Creative Life of Tirzah Garwood Ravilious by Lotte Crawford

Tirzah Garwood (1908 - 51) excelled in marbling, wood-engraving, collage and a style of painting which fused English romanticism with her domestic life.

Gargoyles and Grotesques – a Zoom talk with Dr Alex Woodcock

In this illustrated Zoom talk Dr Alex Woodcock will explore why there are monsters, wild figures and faces carved on our medieval churches.

Visions of the Occult – Victoria Jenkins – zoom lecture

She will explore the hidden artworks and ephemera left behind by artists and shed new light on our understanding of the art historical canon

Vodou and Art : Between the altar and the market by Leah Gordon on zoom

Leah Gordon will discuss the possibilities and problematics of exhibiting Haitian art from her experience of co-curating PÒTOPRENS

“The Devil’s Gateway” – Daughters of Eve in the Middle Ages – Professor Elizabeth Archibald

This Zoom lecture by Professor Elizabeth Archibald will explore the complex medieval attitudes with which women were regarded.

She is Perversity: Queer Currents within Twentieth-Century Discourses on Lilith by Brennan Kettelle

First, my talk will provide a brief overview of Lilith’s presence within folklore, art, and literature from antiquity to the present

Between Two Worlds: On Art & Loss by Rochelle Roberts

Rochelle Roberts writes about her personal experience with the lingering ghost of grief and the ways in which she uses visual art

Emily Rapp Black: Frida Kahlo and My Left Leg

Emily Rapp Black is a New York Times-bestselling author. Her most recent book, Frida Kahlo and My Left Leg

Hilma af Klint & the occult milieu in turn of century Sweden by P Faxneld

The talk offers a guided tour through the occult milieu she was part of in Sweden

Open Sesame: Dorothea Tanning’s Bibliographic Surrealism

Join Dr Catriona McAra for a lecture on Dorothea Tanning

The Development of Austin Osman Spare’s Work – Michael Staley – zoom

In this illustrated talk, Michael Staley on the development of Austin Osman Spare's artwork

Surreal Things – Surrealism and Design – Ghislaine Wood – Zoom

Ghislaine Wood will discuss her influential 2007 exhibition at The V&A

The fluid world of Ithell Colquhoun – Dr. Richard Shillitoe

Her navel is a pool of water lilies": the fluid world of Ithell Colquhoun - Dr. Richard Shillitoe - hosted by Dr. Amy Hale

Kenneth Grant – Austin Osman Spare Abstract by Michael Staley on zoom

In this illustrated talk, Michael Staley discusses Kenneth Grant's presentation of Austin Osman Spare

Eroticism and Surrealist Sewing Machines by Dr Abigail Susik – Zoom

Surrealist sewing machines and the surrealist movement’s interest in female masturbation as a form of social-sexual resistance

Austin Osman Spare with Phil Baker by zoom

This talk will offer insights into Spare’s art, mind and world, reconnecting him with the art history that ignored him

Occult World, Art & Poetry of Marjorie Cameron – Dr. Manon Hedenborg White

This zoom talk will delve into Cameron’s art, poetry, and occultism, situating her as one of the most enigmatic mystical visionaries

Kate MccGwire’s Marvellous Menagerie by Dr Catriona McAra – Zoom Lecture

Kate MccGwire is joined by Catriona McAra to explore the themes of the feminine grotesque that have come to characterize MccGwire's work

The Flying House of Loreto – Dame Marina Warner

The story of this holy house and its ‘wondrous flittings’ in relation to ideas about losing home and remaking it, exile & settlement

Leonora Carrington. A World Made of Magic – Teresa Arcq – Zoom Lecture

In Leonora Carrington´s oeuvre, fantastic animals and beings inhabit magical worlds.

The Magical Mind of Ithell Colquhoun, Surrealist & Occultist – Dr. Amy Hale – Zoom Talk

Lecture on one of the most interesting, dynamic, and theoretically sophisticated women Surrealists & Occultists by Dr.Amy Hale

Transformation and Identity in Austin Osman Spare by Michael Staley by zoom

In this illustrated talk, Michael Staley discusses Spare’s vision with particular reference to a number of pictures

Surrealism and Crime: A Live Zoom Lecture by Jonathan P. Eburne

Join Professor Jonathan P. Eburne to explore how crime informed the surrealist movement in Europe

Women Surrealists with Professor Dawn Ades on Zoom

Join Professor Dawn Ades to explore the paradoxical role of Surrealist women artists in a movement that both elevated and silenced them

Charles Waterton, Ecentric Taxidermist by Dr. Pat Morris, Live on Zoom

Charles Waterton used his texidermy skill to fabricate imaginary creatures,

A Look at Walter Potter’s Curious World of Taxidermy with Joanna Ebenstein

Walter Potter's Curious World of Taxidermy with Mexico based curator, author and co-founder of Morbid Anatomy

The Unnatural History Museum – NMM Cornwall – Viktor Wynd’s Zoom Tour

Join Viktor Wynd in Cornwall via Zoom) for a Guided tour of his Cornish UnNatural History Museum - nestled within The National Maritime Museum Falmouth

In Wonderland: The Surrealist Adventures of Women Artists in Mexico and the United States – Tere Arcq

Live on Zoom from Mexico City Teresa Arcq will discuss her LACMA exhibition In Wonderland: The Surrealist Adventures of Women Artists in Mexico and The United States

Leonora Carrington, My Mother – Gaby Weisz – Zoom Lecture

Leonora Carrington's Son - Gaby Weisz - talks about his recent memoir of his mother with Viktor Wynd - Zoom Lecture in collaboration with Morbid Anatomy

The Archaeology Of British Surrealism: A Lecture By David Haycock On Zoom

Join art historian Dr David Boyd Haycock to explore the fascinating history of the Surrealist movement in Britain

The Botanical Mind: Art, Mysticism & The Cosmic Tree – Gina Buenfeld – Zoom

This talk will explore the ways in which plants have informed artists, mystics and scientists throughout history and around the world.

Mexican Masks & Rituals – Phyllis Galembo – Zoom Lecture

This illustrated Lecture will look closely at the extraordinary range of Masks and traditions current in contemporary Mexico

The Tarot Deck of Austin Osman Spare – Jonathan Allen – Zoom Lecture

Explore English occultist Austin Osman Spare's Tarot Deck with author Jonathan Allen on Zoom

On The Monstrous Pictures of Whales – Philip Hoare – Zoom Lecture

Philip Hoare on how to depict the impossible, a monster more bizarre than any medieval Apocalypse or engravings of krakens and rhinoceroses?

The Marquis De Sade & The Avant-garde: Illustrated Zoom Talk by Alyce Mahon

Join Professor Alyce Mahon to trace how the Marquis de Sade became an icon of free expression and explore his influence on Surrealist art

Freud’s Pandemics: A Live Zoom Lecture with Professor Brett Kahr

Join Dr Brett Kahr to learn what Freud—having lived through WWI, the Spanish Flu, and Nazi occupation—can teach us in this new pandemic

Mike Jay on Mescaline & Art – Zoom Lecture

Mike Jay on Mescaline & Art - Zoom Lecture in Collaboration with New York's Morbid Anatomy

John Waters In Conversation With Viktor Wynd – Zoom Talk

Join Legendary Film Director, Artist & Author John Waters in Conversation, by zoom, with Viktor Wynd