The Exhibition as Medium: Interrogating the Past to Unearth Possible Futures or, Backwardness

The recent phenomenon of proliferation of spiritually-oriented contemporary art exhibitions attracts attention. To understand its possible cultural and social impact, this paper will investigate the agencies at stake: first, the role played by curators. Second, the art historiography, mostly uninterested in esoteric and spiritual themes throughout the 20th century. Third, the artists involved, previously and mostly ignored during their lives. Fourth, the influence exerted by the exhibition spaces. Fifth, the perceptual ability of the selected works to represent the invisible and the unspeakable. And finally, the reception by the public.