Lou Benesch - "The Magician's Room"

SAN FRANCISCO—Hashimoto Contemporary is pleased to present The Magician’s Room, a solo exhibition by Paris-based artist Lou Benesch. For some, the spiritual and unconscious realms exist only as conceptual spaces, intangible and inaccessible in waking life. In The Magician’s Room, Lou Benesch reveals a place where the two realms meet.

For her inaugural solo exhibition in San Francisco, the artist consulted her dreams and tarot cards to understand and inhabit the character of The Magician. Benesch writes: “The Magician is a trickster and lover, channeling what is above and below. He is a maker of wonders, and Spirit is never far from him.” Functioning as a representation of outer doing, he is an active participant, bringing forth manifestation and enabling action in our world. Through divination and a series of fantastical characters, the exhibition explores the Magician’s personal cosmos, finding comfort in the unknown of an alternate reality where physical and spiritual worlds converge.

In this new series of works, Benesch confounds time by transforming found antique objects into portals, revealing the intimate interiors or “rooms” of the creatures that inhabit the Magician’s world. Silence and Lullaby offers a glimpse into the Sphinx’s domicile amongst the stars. On all fours before a green bed, she is flanked by tulips stood upright. Her face is half obscured by a blue semi-transparent mask, revealing a hidden self.

Within each piece are moments of convergence between Benesch’s creature amalgamations. In Channel, an ouroboros is tucked behind the rib of a deer while florals bud and bloom between two twin fish in Eternal Love. The Magician’s Room invites viewers to discover these moments of worlds overlapping, where the Magician’s power is unveiled and a depth of inner being can be found.

Join us for the opening of The Magician’s Room on Saturday, August 1st with a reception from 5pm - 7pm. The exhibition will run through Saturday, August 22nd.

For additional information, images, or press requests, please email sf@hashimotocontemporary.com