1053 Gallery is pleased to present MAGICIANS, MUSICIANS & MYSTICS, an exhibition curated by Hudson, New York-based collectors and art advisors, Carol McCranie and Javier Magri. The exhibition features the works of 23 artists including a special installation by Bob Faust and is on view October 5 through November 17 with a public reception on Saturday, October 5, from 4PM to 7PM.

McCranie and Magri assemble artists whose practices and media weave the disciplines of magic, music and mysticism in its myriad forms. According to McCranie, there’s “Sound Magic” (crafting spells through vocal tones, vibrations or musical instruments), “Time Magic” (manipulating the past, present, or future and bending laws of physics), “Egoic Magic” (altering one's sense of self or emotions as a magical conduit), “Color Magic” (harnessing colors to invoke specific spells or effects), “Glass Magic” (using mirrors and glass to augment reality), “Fate Magic” (influencing destiny or chance to manifest predetermined outcomes) and “Cosmic Magic” (drawing powers from celestial bodies or zodiac signs).

The artists in this exhibition demonstrate their capacity to transcend artmaking practices and materials. Glass, fiber, paint, metal, vinyl and colored lights charge the atmosphere with a mystical quality while entertaining deeply introspective themes and subjects. Together the multimedia works beckon the viewer to relinquish any barrier to the unseen processes that bring the pieces into form.

Richard Saja subverts traditional embroidery practices by altering French toile and silk tapestry with mystical and cosmic-oriented interpretive embellishments; William Eggleston’s Graceland (Gates) references the iconic photographer’s recognition of the magic of Elvis’s music and legacy; Asger Carlsen’s manipulated portraits shape-shift and disorient; Melissa Auf der Maur’s photographs showcase some of the magic moments she experienced while touring with Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins as their bass guitarist; the works of the late Genesis P-Orridge and Alan Vega straddle the magic of music and spirit in multimedia pieces; Psychedelic Furs frontman, Richard Butler, showcases his gifts as a painter in Francis Bacon-esque abstract portraits; Rashid Johnson’s photograph, from the series, The New Negro Escapist Social & Athletic Club, imagines a “men's society modeled after a nineteenth-century fraternity with Afrofuturist sensibilities.” The magic of the muse and the ability for artists to channel their subjects is represented through the works of Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Michael St. John, Marine Penvern, Tom Taylor, Vaughn Bode, Javier Magri, Ray Smith, Andy Mister, and Alan Vega, who call upon painting, drawing and in some pieces, collage, as medium. The Snowman Cometh represents the late Dash Snow’s signature collage art, the title a play on his surname and the Eugene O’Neill play, The Iceman Cometh. Jiro Kamata’s Holon Raum (Circle) incorporates a black glass base embedded with camera lenses achieving a psychedelic effect of multiple iridescent reflections. Marc Swanson’s and Javier Magri’s sculptural works morph found objects—antlers and chains and 19th Century doll parts, respectively—into poetic shapes. In Wit. Will. Wonder., Bob Faust envisions magic with a hanging vinyl installation created for the exhibit. Pop culture icons (like the Trix breakfast cereal logo) are collaged with rabbit ears, bubbles, hearts, spades, in a play of both opaque and transparent material creating a kaleidoscopic collage portal. Faust’s piece echoes several images throughout the room including Michael St. John’s Mascot sculpture of a bunny which takes watch from a corner like an imaginary childhood friend or a carnival nightmare prize. David Clarke works his magic as an alchemist reimagining quotidian objects with copper, silver and pewter. In Richard Prince’s Good Revolution, his style of appropriative art takes center stage with a gold record recorded by the artist. Carol McCranie’s photographs include, The Visitor, a family heirloom crystal chandelier seen at dusk in a window reflection like a spaceship hovering in an evening sky. Her images of silver lace ribbons on reels and a nature morte tableau connect to the conversations in this space of magic. The exhibition also includes a vitrine showcasing objects and ephemera with magical properties from McCranie and Magri’s personal collection: first-edition books, 45 RPM records, and necklaces worn by James Brown and Genesis P-Orridge.

Participating Artists: Melissa Auf der Maur, Vaughn Bode, Richard Butler, Asger Carlsen, David Clarke, William Eggleston, Bob Faust, Rashid Johnson, Jiro Kamata, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Javier Magri, Carol McCranie, Andy Mister, Genesis P-Orridge, Marine Penvern, Richard Prince, Richard Saja, Ray Smith, Dash Snow, Michael St. John, Marc Swanson, Tom Taylor and Alan Vega.

About the Curators: Carol McCranie and Javier Magri are longtime collectors of art, rare books and objects. They met in 1983 at Parsons Design School over many shared passions and have been married since 1993. They reside in Hudson, NY in a historic Greek Revival home that houses their vast art collection. In 2015, XEROX/ROCK/ART was published by Damiani Books & D.A.P, which featured their STEPHEN SPROUSE ARCHIVE COLLECTION with an introduction by Debbie Harry. Pieces from their collection have been on loan at The Guggenheim, The Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, The Boston Museum of Contemporary Art, The Louisiana Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, Olana, The Indianapolis Museum of Art Galleries at Newfields, Parsons New School of Design, the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, and Lyndhurst Mansion. McCranie & Magri’s gift of Josephine Meckseper’s Tout Va Bien (2005) to the Whitney Museum was included in the museum’s inaugural exhibition, America Is Hard to See, in 2015. Prior to the couple’s creation of HUDSONBRICK Art Advisory, McCranie spent 15 years as an art dealer in New York City and Magri continued a longtime practice as a Rare Book Dealer. In 2015, they created the art advisory, HUDSONBRICK, LLC. Their curated exhibitions include: THE NOW FOREVER at the Basilica Hudson in 2015; Michael St. John’s Bouquet in 2017 and Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s Talking Pictures with Lisa Ticknor in 2024, both at Hudson Hall.