TEUFELSKUNST Occult Art Blog
TEUFELSKUNST
Occult Art Blog

Mandrake Phytographs

Mandrake Phytographs from 2023

Living and dead mandrake roots are drawn with India ink on absorbent paper, which has been infused prior with coffee, soil and the body of the portrayed mandrake root. It is meant as a collector’s item in a series of “Root” drawings, which I have been creating over a number of years.

Drawings from this series have been exhibited for the first time in 2017 in Berlin as part of the “Bad Intentions” group exhibition, alongside internationally renowned artists from Isreal and Palestine. They were also featured in an online exhibition titled “ROOT”, held in 2021 by The Organic Centre Ireland during the Corona pandemic.

The artistic process that I refer to as “phytography” has been introduced to a larger audience in 2022 during the virtual “Viridis Genii Symposium VII” and has been published as part of the accompanying book series.

Choosing mandrake as an artistic theme is tapping into and continuing an anthropomorphic mandrake root cult, which can be found throughout millenia of human civilization. My research on the religious symbolism and folkloristic mandrake traditions was published in the article “Regina Amandrakina” featured in “Pillars” journal released by Anathema Publishing in 2014. A summary of mandrake’s purported magical properties is attached via the info sheet accompanying your drawing.

The roots are portrayed in and beyond their physical form, employing different layers composed of physical matter from the root and the detailed ink drawing created during many hours, in which I establish a deeper connection to the plant soul. During this process I gain ‘magical’ experiences, such as roots that seemed dead suddenly starting to thrive again, which is in line with mandrake’s alleged necromantic and resurrecting powers.

Even more satisfying is to see the roots finding new life in new homes and transforming and functioning as divinatory tools and serving as magical famuli in the hands of other mandrake enthusiasts.

January 5, 2024

Posted In: Art, Pflanzenkunst, Mandrake Project

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“Dead Astronaut” is aLive

It’s wonderful to be receiving such feedback! Remember last year`s mandrake post about “Alien Monstress” and “Crippled Astronaut”? Well, who would have guessed that! First photo shows a recent post by obviously blessed and knowledgable David ‘Mr. Mandrake’ Simmons. Second photo is of the same root about a year ago and third is of my ink portrait, now framed and adorning D. Simmon’s wall. Thanks David!

In memoriam H.H. Ewers

July 17, 2023

Posted In: Mandrake Project, Herbs & Seeds, Art, Ritual, Garden, Pflanzenkunst

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Viridis Genii Symposium VII

I am pleased to be giving a lecture and hosting a workshop at this year’s Viridis Genii Symposium!

It is only possible thanks to the event being held online again that I am able to participate and share my knowledge. So this is a rare opportunity for people outside of Germany to attend and ask me all the questions that you always wanted to ask me about plants and my art with plants, including my plant sigils.

So what can you expect that will make it worth to purchase tickets?

You will:

  • receive a unique workshop kit with powerful magical plants that have been harvested ritually and are already arranged and pressed for you (to be purchased separately for a humble 12 USD fee)
  • work creatively in a relaxed and meditative surrounding
  • expand your ritual routine and connect collectively to the plant spirits
  • get a unique chance to ask me questions about your favorite plants
  • at the end you hold a concrete and potentially magical talisman in your hands

In the lecture I will introduce the term “Phytography” and guide you through the history of nature printing, from cave paintings, to medieval herbals, to Leonardo da Vinci, to modern alternative photography, including examples by contemporary artists such as Malin Fabbri and Kristina Feldhammer. We will talk about the “blood” of the plants and their other juices, plant pigments and in how far the coffee based phytographs that we will produce in the workshop can be considered “magical images” of the plants, through the use of sympathetic magic and astrological correspondences.

Tickets: viridisgenii.com

NOTE: The number of workshop participants is limited to 30!

Besides, there is an annual publication accompanying the event. This year’s book features my essay on Phytography, two illustrations and a lucid experience with the guardian of the witch hazel. The book has just arrived fresh from the print and can be ordered now from Rosarium Blends!

Note: deluxe ticket holders will automatically receive a copy.

Preview of the plants that come with the workshop kits – included among others are: thorn-apple, bryony, bindweed, lily-of-the-valley, forget-me-not, periwinkle, ferns, enchanter’s nightshade, barrenwort, wormwood, mugwort, fennel, various spring blossoms such as violets, daffodils, linden leaves, cherry, lilac, elder, hellebores etc. all carefully arranged and ready for use. It’s been a hell of a work… 😉

September 15, 2022

Posted In: News & Site Updates, Pflanzenkunst, Events, Art

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ROOT Art Exhibition Online

Honored to have been asked to take part in “ROOT”, the inaugural online exhibition hosted by The Organic Centre & creatively coordinated by artist Sarah Ellen Lundy as part of the pairs ongoing collaborative ‘Project Earth’.

https://www.rootexhibition.com/

December 22, 2020

Posted In: Events, Exhibitions, Art, Pflanzenkunst

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Meadow Saffron

The meadow saffron, or autumn crocus, is a highly fascinating plant. Its purple flowers look like crocuses, but appear in early autumn, when most other plants are done flowering. This is also reflected in its German name “Herbstzeitlose”, which means “autumn messenger”. From the “naked” flowers may also be derived the English moniker “naked ladies”.

The leaves, on the other hand, show up in spring and have been mistaken for bear’s garlic. A dangerous and potentially deadly mistake, since the entire plant contains the alkaloid colchicine, which acts similar to arsenic, and has no known antidote. In addition it has a long latency period, which makes poisoning with autumn crocus even more difficult to recognize and treat. Colchicine acts as a mitotic poison, by interfering with the reduction division of the chromosomes during meiosis. While deadly, it is also made use of in medicine, for treating certain types of cancer, as well as in plant breeding, where it causes plants to grow larger and produce bigger fruits.

A plant named Colchicon was first mentioned by Dioscorides. The specific name autumnale given by Linnaeus, refers to its time of flowering. The genus name Colchicum is derived from Colchis, the landscape on the Black Sea, most famously known for the witch Medea, who is told to have poisoned her enemies with meadow saffron, but also restored youth with its help. In Apollonius Rhodius’ Argonautica, Medea rubs a salve on Jason’s limbs, which contains meadow saffron. According to another legend, meadow saffron grew from the blood that dripped from Prometheus’ liver. However, the same story is also related to the Mandrake and both plants are candidates for the mythical plant named “blood of Prometheus”.

Despite a narrow therapeutic index, meadow saffron has been used medicinally for at least 3500 years. It is still a treatment for rheumatism and gout. During the times of the plague the bulb was also worn as a protective amulet around the neck. (You can read more about this plant on my garden blog).

The artwork shown here is one of my more illustrative works, combining symbolism and showing the plant spirit in an anthropomorphic form. It was first show-cased in 2017 at gallery Circle1 in Berlin, as part of the “Bad Intentions” group exhibition. It is drawn with black ink on paper that has been stained with coffee and meadow saffron flower extract. It is signed and dated on the back and comes in a simple black cardboard passe-partout.

You receive the exact work shown here.

Artwork size: ca. 4 x 8 inch, passe-partout size: ca. 6 x 11 inch

For ordering the art please email me at info@teufelskunst.com

December 6, 2018

Posted In: Art, Pflanzenkunst

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Plants and Planets

New: postcards with my occult/nature inspired “Plants and Planets” series from 2018!

The postcards are available in two formats, small 10 x 15 cm and large 13 x 18 cm. They have round edges and the sizes comply with common post standards.

In the past botanists such as Nicholas Culpeper associated plants with the planets, fixed stars and zodiac signs. The attributions were based on an intense study of a plant’s features, which included treats such as a thorny or prickly appearance, the scent emitted by the flowers or the entire plant, the plant’s life cycle, colors, metals contained in a plant, medicinal and other uses and of course plenty of folklore. Today plants are classified scientifically based on their genome, but their planetary lore is preserved and continues to evolve in the books of authors such as Stephen Skinner, Paul Huson, Scott Cunningham, Harold Roth and so on.

I find it inspiring to continue this tradition and to explore its own inner logic. Hence I created these planet themed still life photographs of herbs, that I gathered from our garden and surroundings, many of which are also part of my seed boxes. They are ordered according to the Chaldean sequence. With this series I yet delve deeper into the language of plants and the symbolism and magical properties attributed to them.

Please leave a note with your order, if you wish for the postcard to be signed on the back (no extra cost).

October 1, 2018

Posted In: Pflanzenkunst, Prints, Ritual

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Mandrake Roots 2018

Returning from 3 weeks of garden work, Teufelskunst is back with a new offer of five Mandragora officinarum roots. The roots you see above will be available for purchase this week. They have shed their leaves and are currently withdrawn to the ground, which gave me the opportunity to study and replant them. Now is also a good time to sell and ship them safely.

The roots are between 12-10 cm in length and weigh between 31-37 gram. Their shapes inspire me to name and make art for them. The offer presented here is again for the live root and a detailed ink study of the same. Note: root and art are shipped separately this time. 

For further details please view the individual listings (going up Wednesday, July 18 2018, 6 pm Central European Summer Time)

July 17, 2018

Posted In: Art, Pflanzenkunst

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Blessed Winter Solstice 2017!

Mullein, Winter Solstice Edition ’17, 3 available

Wishing to all my customers and followers a blessed Winter Solstice and Yule time! The Teufelskunst shop is taking a break from tonight until the 2nd of January. This means, the shop stays online and you can still place orders, but order processing and shipping will be limited. Expect news and updates after the Christmas holidays. Thank you all for the immense support! 🕯🌟☄

The mullein artwork on the photo can be purchased here: https://teufelskunst.com/product/mullein-winter-solstice-17/

December 21, 2017

Posted In: Pflanzenkunst, Art, Feast Days

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