The Palm Springs Art Museum is set to debut A Queer Arcana: Art, Magic, and Spirit, a sweeping new exhibition that explores how queer artists across generations have turned to mysticism, alternative spirituality, and occult knowledge as tools for survival, resistance, and radical imagination.
Spanning more than a century of artistic production—from 1909 to 2026—the exhibition brings together work by 35 artists, tracing a lineage of creative practices rooted in esoteric traditions. Presented as part of the museum’s Q+ Art initiative, A Queer Arcana examines how hidden or mystical knowledge—what “arcana” suggests—has long served as a powerful cultural strategy for LGBTQ+ artists navigating identity, community, and transformation.
“This exhibition highlights artistic practice as a site of imagination, inquiry, and possibility,” said Christine Vendredi, the museum’s JoAnn McGrath Executive Director, emphasizing the institution’s ongoing commitment to centering queer voices and histories.
Fusion, 1975 Acrylic on canvas 56 1/4 × 54 1/4 in. (142.9 × 137.8 cm)
Collection of Pat Meza, Los Angeles
A Journey Through Mysticism and Identity
Organized into six thematic sections, the exhibition draws connections across time and geography, revealing shared artistic strategies rooted in spiritual exploration. One section delves into the rise of occult practices in the nineteenth century, featuring original drawings by English artist Austin Osman Spare from his influential 1913 work The Book of Pleasure (Self-Love): The Psychology of Ecstasy. His pioneering use of automatic drawing and sigil magic—symbolic forms intended to bypass the conscious mind—laid the groundwork for generations of artists to explore desire, identity, and manifestation.
These historic works are presented alongside contemporary voices such as Elijah Burgher and Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, who reinterpret and expand upon Spare’s ideas in deeply personal and provocative ways.
“Queer artists, activists, and cultural producers have long sought spiritual practices outside the mainstream to affirm their identities and envision new ways of being,” said curator-at-large David Evans Frantz. “As this exhibition demonstrates, these ideas have found expression in visionary, surprising, and profound works of art.”
Sheet: 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.6 cm) Image: 13 7/8 × 14 1/8 in. (35.2 × 35.9 cm) Gift of the Steven Arnold Museum and Archives, Los Angeles
Reimagining the Tarot
Another standout section of A Queer Arcana explores the enduring symbolism of tarot—and how queer artists have redefined its visual and spiritual language.
Original works from The Shining Tribe Tarot by Rachel Pollack are presented alongside contemporary interpretations by artists like Devan Shimoyama and Hilma’s Ghost.
Shimoyama’s Le Monde (2024) offers a dazzling reinterpretation of the Major Arcana card “The World,” positioning the artist as the central figure in a composition traditionally associated with duality. Rendered with glitter, rhinestones, sequins, and paint, the work transforms the archetype into a celebration of selfhood, fluidity, and empowerment.
Art as Transformation
At its core, A Queer Arcana: Art, Magic, and Spirit is more than an exhibition—it’s an exploration of how artists have used mysticism and imagination to build new worlds and reclaim space in societies that have often excluded them.
By weaving together history, spirituality, and contemporary practice, the exhibition offers a compelling look at how queer artists continue to redefine both art and identity—turning to the mystical not as escape, but as a powerful means of connection, affirmation, and transformation.
A Queer Arcana: Art, Magic, and Spirit
March 28, 2026 – October 18, 2026
Palm Springs Art Museum
101 Museum Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262