TEUFELSKUNST Occult Art Blog
TEUFELSKUNST
Occult Art Blog

“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: Herbs & Seeds, Art, Ritual, Garden, Pflanzenkunst, Mandrake Project

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Coming Back…

Image: "Home Office", February 2nd 2021

Hello again, friends, customers, followers,

how have you all been during this weird time?

I am writing to you from my “home office”. In this regard not much has changed. Except, I am no longer alone here, but in the constant company of my – now 10 months old – baby boy.

Corona forces us to stick together and stay home. Most of my time is spent with housework and watching after the little one and the big things he is doing. Since January 21st I am also trying to get back to working and making a living as an artist, since my parent leave has officially ended. But it is not simply getting back to business as usual.

I am currently not able to manage an online mail-order. I have hence removed the shopping cart from the Teufelskunst website.

(Do not worry, your accounts are not deleted and you can still access them – just email me and I send you a custom link.)

I plan to bring the shop back though. I also plan to start offering downloadable content, e.g. info material on spiritual working systems, herbalism as well as interviews with other artists and practitioners of occultism.

Once international shipping is working again, I may also bring back physical goods.

In the mean time I will accept individual commission requests for anything that counts as art and can be delivered digitally or in letter form. Especially illustrations/graphic design requests are highly appreciated, or if you would like to use any of my photography, illustrations or writing in a publication of yours…

You know my work. Have a look around on my social media.

Publishers could also chose from my large archive of plant and nature photographs (including a great amount of material I have not shared online), or commission me for purpose specific illustrations.

Now is the chance to get a custom piece from me!

To do so please use the contact form or e-mail me at info@teufelskunst.com

Thanks and stay save!

W.

February 2, 2021

Posted In: News & Site Updates

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Artist Takeover #1: Emry Kamahi Tahatai Kereru

For the coming 7 days the Teufelskunst Instagram and Facebook page will be filled with works by the talented Emery Kereru from New Zealand.

Emery is the first artist to hijack Teufelskunst. Read on why…

“Emry Kamahi Tahatai Kereru is a lifelong devotee of the black art from the Mot Valley, New Zealand. His works serve as record of a soul’s descent into perdition, through the arts bequeathed by fallen angels. He favours steel-point illustration as a medium, for its precision and control. Through symbolism he hopes to grasp the language of the divine and the mysteries of the Great Work. By realistic as possible illustrations of baneful witching herbs he has tried to capture the natural forms that carry a trace of their inmost essence. Faith is the basis of all he does, and he strives for as great a distance as possible from ego driven occultism and the empty regurgitation of familiar images and forms, disconnected from rooted contextual meaning. These works are true reflections of a lived experience beyond expression.”

Asked for his signature, Emry sent me this magic quare: 

@e.m.s.a.r.t.s would you be willing to explain to my followers, how you went about constructing it?

E: “The magic square came to me during a period of intense prayer bathing in the river and fasting. It cyphers and rectifies my own name + arts mission into a Latin verse based on Revelation 21:8. EX MORTEM SECUNDUM ASCENSURA REVELATIO TEMPLUM SATHANAE, in seven descending columns, across the bottom line it reads simply A + O, which represents Spirit as the beginning and end of all, and the goal of the Great Work. The raising of the Temple, in a metaphoric sense, by the Sons of Fire, in 49 letters is 7×7, the Lord’s Prayer recited sevenfold and also 4 + 9 = 13, the bloodline of Lucifer. The weeds of the field are pulled up and burned in the fire, second death, which is perdition of the soul upon the descent of seven steps, to dedicate oneself to the spiritual work through the Devil’s pact.

The signification is that works are undertaken as an exercise of devotion and self rectification with approval of spirit.

So these works shown here are actually drawn on the blank pages from the beginning and end of bibles stolen from Christians. At the time I was hitchhiking to town once every week or two and living on about $20 a week mostly eating potatoes or weeds foraged off the land.

So I would hitch a ride to town, steal a Bible, buy a bottle of wine and a packet of lambs hearts and a few other small items. The rest of the books was used as firelighters for ritual fires of Cypress, Laurel even Yew or other specific woods.

The pages marked with the witching herbs are wordless, before Genesis and after Revelation. The rest is torn up and burned in the fire. The series is entirely symbolic and every work is prayed over with offerings to the plant spirits. Each took about three full days outside.”

The next image shows an impression from an exhibition of Emrys botanical drawings. It was this that caught my attention. I had known Emry from before, though only through e-mail contact. He was one of the first to order poison garden seeds from me. Nevermind he was in New Zealand…

Years later he sent me drawings he had done of various plants. It was just a glimpse, but it was clear, that he was serious about drawing and it looked good, meaning, professional. So I followed his steps in art and mixed media over the past 3 years. And it is with joy, that I now present to you this first small retrospective.

1 week, 9 posts. Watch out and enjoy the stories that come with each…

October 9, 2020

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Raven King

“Raven King” sigil art + incense, November 2019

This is my second work representing an ‘animal’ spirit. In this sigil I combine mythology and spiritual lore connected to the Corvidae family.

Ravens and crows both feature extensively in the mythology and folklore of basically all continents and nations. I cannot remember when exactly my own journey with these animals started. But they continue to present me with the most auspicious magic and moments, whenever I open up and notice their ever-presence. Hence, when a friend inquired for a crow skull tattoo, I already felt a deep connection to the animal’s collective spirit. But I was lacking actually knowledge and education. So began my reading and study journey, for which I received wonderful help and recommendations. The sigil art presented here is now the quintessence of this autumnal journey with the crows, ravens, magpies, jackdaws and grosbeaks around me and their universal lore.

In November 2019 I created the first 7 of altogether 14 miniature drawings. The sigils are drawn with ink on imbued paper, which has been infused with coffee and a tincture created from the accompanying incense blend. Each sigil is signed and numbered on the back. The sigils come in a black cardboard box + 30 ml bag of “Raven King” incense.

Incense contains: birch, blackthorn, black alder, black copal, black myrrh, black sacra frankincense, cypress, elder, human bone, juniper, oak, rowan, tobacco, walnut, white sage, yew

Artwork size: ca. 12,5 x 12,5 cm, box size: ca. 13 x 13 cm

limited to 2 x 7 (6 available)

November 15, 2019

Posted In: Art, Incense

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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: Pflanzenkunst, Art

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Samhain Celebration 2018

This year’s art dealers: Ybenhain, Black Arts of Mine and Teufelskunst

The art dealers

The third Samhain Celebration combined again both finest black metal as well as exclusive hand-made art fitting to the event. Ybenhain offered resin jewelry and items all made of bizarre forest finds, from crazy colored beetles, weird spiders to plenty of animal teeth, combined with flora and fauna from the forest ground and trees. You can check them out at the Ybenhain Instagram. In contrast, Black Arts of mine creates all things from metal. He contributed the etched copper pendants and pins with the Samhain Harvest Seal for the event. Besides that there were some pieces that drew my attention, such as the precision work on a copper hendecagram pendant (see below). There was also a weird metal chest with a fly engraving, housing a steel cased vial filled with a dozen dead flies. You can view the works in all their morbid glory on the Black Arts of Mine Instagram. Last but not least, I brought with me new art editions as well as an ever growing assortment of incense blends.

Black Arts of Mine and company
Black Arts of Mine
Samhain Harvest Seal 2018, collab between Teufelskunst, House of Inkantation and Black Arts of Mine
Etched copper amulet by Black Arts of Mine
Waldtrollin checking out the art
My table: limited edition box sets of ‘Regina Bombina‘ ink drawings and ‘Rauhnächte‘ ritual kits

The bands

The other part of the evening, and a reason for people to travel as far as from the States, were the bands. I could not check out all of them, but at least caught a few snapshots of Turia, the Mosaic feat. Schwadorf set and Fyrnask. I would love to hear about your first impression of seeing Turia live and realizing a female is doing those ghoulish voces…

Turia from the Netherlands won me over
Moved by special performance of Mosaic and Schwadorf (Empyrium)
Mosaic feat. Schwadorf (Empyrium)
Fyrnask

The Stage

Signature feature and fundament for the evening’s special atmosphere appreciated so much by the audience is the stage set, annually adorned with reeds, ivy, chestnut garlands, corn dolls, carved skulls and this year’s corn sun. Connecting it all since three years is the Seal of the Harvest in the back, which I once designed for the event.

This year’s Samhain stage
Stage design details
View from the side
Behind the curtains

Initiating the Samhain magic

The Samhain Celebration in Gotha is one of those rare occasions where I can show presence with my work and art and meet people that are on a similar wavelength. It is a unique combination of art, tradition, music and spirit, which both is highly satisfying for the performers as well as the audience. Making it all possible are the people of The House of Inkantation, Eisenwald and a handful of helpers.

Making it all possible: C. + M. Falkenstein + crew

October 31, 2018

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Exhibition Opening at Gallery CIRCLE1, Berlin 2017

“Harvest” / “Sigilla Magica” installation at Circle1, Berlin November 2017

The candles have been lit, the incense has been burnt; now my work vibrates inside of Berlin art gallery CIRCLE1 until December 23rd. Thanks to Avi Pitchon, who invited me to take part in this group exhibition, alongside renown international artists from Israel and Palestine!

What started as a simple idea years ago, has accumulated into a complex installation. Succeeding years of studying the plants first-hand and a rediscovered love for ink, suddenly things fell into place. It was preceded by searching and researching, sowing and growing, loss and gain via the very basic and earth-bound occupation as a gardener and harvester.

The installation is hence titled “Harvest“. It consists of an earth altar with dried plants and harvest related offerings: self baked bread, honey from the neighborhood and self-made beeswax candles. The souls and spirits that were contained in the once alive, now dead corpora of the plants, find a new house in the form of fetishistic ink drawings: the “Sigilla Magica” series.

With these new forms I found an own language, in which I seek to both entertain and communicate memes to the viewer. Twelve ink drawings reference eleven magical plants. A twelfth refers to the bee queen, “Regina Bombina“, governing the vital interaction between plants and pollinators. In addition, two anthropomorphic drawings depict the aconite and mandragora in half-human form, namely the armed and poison-dart struck “Wolf Shaman” and beheaded and re-headed “Regina Amandrakina” accompanied by her freakish offspring. Finally, two complimenting botanical studies of the roots of the aconite and mandragora act as a bridge between abstraction and realism and explore the individual and fascinating shape of each in detail.

Scroll down for impressions from the vernissage.

“Regina Amandrakina”, ink on coffee, wormwood, mandrake and blood
“Wolf Shaman”, ink on coffee, wormwood and aconite
“Pathfinder”, ink on coffee, wormwood and mandrake
“Gorgon”, ink on coffee, wormwood and aconite
“Regina Bombina”, ink on coffee and honey
“Autumn Crocus”, ink on coffee, wormwood and autumn crocus flower extract
“Mullein”, ink on coffee, wormwood and mullein
“Solomon’s Seal”, ink on coffee, wormwood and solomon’s seal root extract
“Fennel”, ink on coffee, wormwood and fennel seed extract

Thanks to all involved!

17.11.-23.12.2017 – Bad Intentions,
a group exhibition curated by Avi Pitchon and Alona Harpaz

Opening times:
Thursday – Saturday
12:00-18:00

CIRCLE1
Mittenwalder Stra­ße 47
10961 Berlin

November 25, 2017

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Upcoming Exhibition “Bad Intentions”

Dear followers, friends and customers,

I am happy to share the news with you that I will be part of the exhibition “Bad Intentions” at Circle 1 gallery in Berlin, opening November 17. You are all invited to attend and spread the news!

This is a unique opportunity for me to bring my plant inspired art to a new audience. I will be showing ink drawings of my “Sigilla Magica” and illustrations supported, by an installation with different magical herbs from my garden and surroundings.

Important (!) Due to the exhibition preparations now going into its last and hot phase, I will not be able to process new shop orders until then. All orders placed now or later, will be shipped in the week following the 20th of November.

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Below a quote from the introduction text, by curator Avi Pitchon:

“Bad Intentions” seeks to modestly contribute a tiny voice to hopefully echo into a massive abyss. The title is a reference to the good intentions of ‘artivism’, and where they lead to: the disappearance of both art and activism. The exhibition does so by staging an absurd tear between art and artist, in the hope that a gaze into the tear might enable a distinction between art and politics. The artists selected for this group exhibition are Jewish-Israeli, Palestinian-Israeli, Jewish, Palestinian and German. However, no artwork in this exhibition forms an explicit mirroring of any social or political tensions formed within the above ethnic/national triangle. The artwork does not ‘speak for itself’; it simply speaks by itself. “Bad Intentions” intentionally ignores the background and circumstance of the artist, in order to destabilise anything that is expected of such a grouping of artists, because all of those expectations are not only tired cliches, they also silence the speech of art. “Bad Intentions” is thus an invitation for the viewer to empower themselves by placing the weight and responsibility of attention on them; by not providing crutches of meaning.

Bad Intentions

Artists: Eitan Ben MosheWiebke RostGeorgia KuhnTamy Ben-Tor & Miki CarmiMerav Kamel & Halil BalabinMika RottenbergOsama ZatarAnat Ben DavidNeta Dror and Keren Cytter

Curated by Avi Pitchon and Alona Harpaz

17.11.2017 – 23.12.2017

Friday 17.11.17 at 19:00 – Exhibition Opening 

This exhibition is supported by the Szloma Albam Stiftung

www.szloma-albam-stiftung.de

Neta Dror – Keyla, 2016

 

November 8, 2017

Posted In: Art, Exhibitions, Pflanzenkunst

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