‘A Charm Against All That,’ at projects+gallery, looks to the supernatural to make sense of the world

The world is made of chaos—chaos that may feel increasingly frenetic due to political instability, climate change, and seemingly unstoppable technological advances. “A Charm Against All That,” opening at projects+gallery on Thursday, engages the magical and occult in combating this chaos. Dark currents and anxieties run throughout the show and suggest that something more than the usual institutions is needed for relief. Humanity has a long history of consorting with the supernatural and mystical in order to make sense of the world, and this show reflects that inclination.

In the main gallery are works by both local and international artists: Brandon Anschultz, Harley Lafarrah Eaves, Hélène Delprat, Trenton Doyle Hancock, and Charline von Heyl. Also included are fascinating Vodun fetish objects made by the Fon people of Benin, Africa. “A Charm Against All That” curator Jessica Baran says, “It was a pleasure to be able to work with such a wide range of objects that help complicate our way of thinking through something as alternately nebulous and commonplace as, say, ‘magical thinking,’ which is precisely the ‘wrong’ kind of logic artists use best, and that’s most liberating at a moment like this.”

Standing in the middle of the gallery is an imposing black sculpture by Hélène Delprat. In the piece, two life-sized fantastic, demon-like creatures hold up a mirror. The mirror, however, does not reflect the world of reality, as it is severely distorted. As Baran noted, the mirror functions more as a portal, and the flat rendering of the sculpture invites the viewer to walk around it and ponder which side of the looking glass they occupy. It is unclear whether the creatures are there for help or harm. 

In Harley Lafarrah Eaves’ painting Thematic Plot Points in the Wizard of Oz from Childhood Memories and its companion piece, we see imagery from the film—ruby red slippers, the wicked witch’s green hands, and broomsticks—decontextualized and floating in a composition that lacks any sense of place or gravity. Like the film, the pieces embrace the sinister parts of fantasy and the power of magic. 

The Vodun fetish objects from the Fon people of Benin are assemblages made of bone, string, locks, keys, and other materials. They offer the ability to affect the world for good or bad. Made in the mid-20th century, the bocio attain their power by activation through ritual, and offer the user a helpful tool in dealing with adversity. 

Echoing these objects are Brandon Anschultz’s assemblage sculptures. As he explains, “My works function a lot like the Vodun fetish objects—they’re made from assemblages of materials of either personal significance or stand-ins, that were mostly submerged in paint over the course of a couple of years—accumulating layers of color (and time). I then take those paint-objects and crack them open like geodes, polish, and adorn them. Individually they speak to different things; from a specific personal memory, to an abstracted idea about the future, and one is a memorial for a dear friend.  They’re also coded with queer imagery and symbols. In a lot of ways, there is an anxiety within my work, a tension between the bright colors, fanciful display, with a darker backstory or a certain brutality in their creation.”

The “All That “of the exhibition title is explored in the rear gallery, curated by Margaret Sherer. Farrokh Mahdavi’s paintings show the viewer part of a subject only to obfuscate most of it under a thick crust of bubble-gum pink paint. Fantich & Young’s Alpha Tote is an amalgam of synthetic bone and hair, complete with objects made of rows of teeth. In Chris Burden’s Untitled 1974 lithograph, we see the conflict between one’s often tumultuous inner life in contrast to our daily mundane existence. The anxieties and fears featured in this gallery create the need for a remedy. 

The opening reception for “A Charm Against All That” is Thursday, January 16. The show runs until March 14.