Hilma’s Ghost: Light as Resistance
March 6 – September 27, 2026
East Wing Galleries
Light as Resistance is an exhibition of painting, drawing, video, and a site-specific wall painting by Hilma’s Ghost, an artist collective formed by Dannielle Tegeder and Sharmistha Ray. Influenced by spiritual and esoteric knowledge systems, histories of abstraction, and research recovering the legacies of overlooked women artists, their name pays homage to the Swedish mystic and painter Hilma af Klint (1862–1944) who is now recognized as one of the first abstract artists in Western art history. Working collaboratively—with one another, with spiritual practitioners, and with unseen energies—the collective incorporates practices like ritual, divination, automatic drawing, and color magic into their artmaking process.
Presented at MOCA are new works of painting, design, and moving image that operate as tarot readings, talismans of protection, and ritual propositions. These works propose alternative strategies for meaning-making, and offer abstraction as a tool for resistance, healing, and collective transformation. Through vibrant color, geometric forms, and symbolic language, Light as Resistance positions art as a spiritual technology and a feminist act.
This exhibition is organized by Alexis Wilkinson, Curator and Gabriela Rangel, Executive Director.
Generous support for this exhibition is provided by Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Ford Foundation, Teiger Foundation; Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts; Galería RGR; and MOCA Tucson’s Board of Trustees and Members.
About Hilma’s Ghost
Hilma’s Ghost is a feminist artist collective co-founded by artists and educators Dannielle Tegeder and Sharmistha Ray that fuses contemporary art with modern spirituality through forms of divination and ritual. Named after the Swedish artist and mystic, Hilma af Klint, the collective’s work is a critique of gendered power structures, providing a critical and revolutionary platform for rethinking gender in the arts while recovering feminist histories as its ballast for critique. The collective acts as a collaborative model for feminist research, artistic production, experimental pedagogies, and community activations. Their work ranges from the traditional to the esoteric, including paintings and drawings, surrealist games, a tarot deck, ritual object-based installations, pedagogical workshops, curated exhibitions, community projects, and artist books. Since its founding in 2020, Hilma’s Ghost has completed over 20 collaborative projects and 80 public programs worldwide. Their work includes paintings, surrealist games, installations, workshops, artist books, and the Abstract Futures Tarot, now in its third edition. In 2022, they launched a roving art school that’s reached over 8,000 people. In May 2025, they unveiled a 600-square-foot glass mosaic mural at Grand Central Station, commissioned by MTA Arts & Design. Exhibitions include The Guggenheim, MASP, Marlborough Gallery, and The Aldrich Museum. Hilma’s Ghost has been featured in The New York Times, Hyperallergic, The Brooklyn Rail, and more.
Exhibition Programming
MOCA Members Exhibition Preview
On Friday March 6th from 6:00-7:00pm MOCA members are invited for an exclusive exhibition preview and a curators champagne toast.
Public Opening Reception
On Friday March 6th from 7:00-9:00pm join us to celebrate the opening of MOCA’s new exhibition, Hilma’s Ghost: Light as Resistance, with a local food truck, drinks by Brick Box Brewery, music, and activities!