Modern Mysticism

From sacred visions to armour and arms, explore the embodied rituals of devotion and defence in the medieval world, and their echoes in our own.

Join us at ACE on Saturday 7 November for a day exploring the body as a site of devotion, endurance and mystical revelation. A brief opening lecture will introduce medieval traditions of religious enclosure, restraints, self-flagellation  and mystical ecstasy, tracing the histories and practices that inform Emiko Artemis’s anchorhold installation within 'Leaves: Eco-Anxiety', and their ensuing performance.  

Emiko will share insights into their practice and the performance, which marks the culmination of their two-year studio residency at ACE. From the inward intensity of the anchorhold to the weight and movement of armour and arms: the day concludes with a demonstration of medieval weaponry by Magnaura, the Adelaide chapter of the New Varangian Guard, whose living history practice recreates the cultures of the Byzantine world.

About the Exhibition

Amidst ecological polycrisis, what practical, cultural or mystical remedies are possible? 

These works offer different ways into this question: A yarning circle creates space for conversations about Country, care and cultivating native species. Eucalyptus leaves frame and scent the gallery. A temple offers a place for quiet retreat and tea-drinking. Other works turn to ecological restoration, performance, ritual, magic and noise as ways of responding to environmental anxiety and grief.

Living with ecological crises has become a part of everyday life. Climate change, habitat loss and environmental degradation bring with them anxiety and grief about what is happening to the natural world, and uncertainty about what comes next.

'Leaves: Eco-Anxiety' brings together seven artists whose artworks respond to these feelings sympathetically and remedially. Across the exhibition, caring for Country and planting native habitat sit alongside contemplation, restoration, divination and drinking tea. Together, in different ways, they consider how we might care for the natural world while living with the knowledge of its increasing precarity.

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Support:

ACE is supported by the South Australian Government through Create SA and the Australian Government through Creative Australia.

Stephanie Doddridge is supported by Create SA and Bio·R and has also been supported by the Porter Street Fund.

Bryce Cawte is supported by City of Adelaide and has also been supported through a Carclew Fellowship.

The performance program is supported by City of Adelaide.

Image: Opening Night: 'Leaves: Eco-Anxiety' (2026), event documentation, Adelaide Contemporary Experimental. Photography by Lana Adams.