Public Opening: Hilma’s Ghost

Join us to celebrate the opening of MOCA’s new exhibition, Hilma’s Ghost: Light as Resistance, with food by Parkie Sandwiches, drinks by Brick Box Brewery, and an evening of exhibition-inspired activations on the plaza.  

Throughout the evening: 

Magnetic Alchemy will be offering 1–3 card tarot readings. Using the Mother Peace Tarot Deck, ask a question or lean into the messages coming for you at this time.

Plus! Pop-up apothecary offerings by Magnetic Alchemy.

Teaching Artist Sirilak Rottler will facilitate a hands-on Personal Talisman artmaking activity inspired by the works in Light as Resistance. 

7:00pm: Poetry Reading with Isis Awad
Isis will read a selection of poems from her forthcoming book The First Third (Nightboat Books, 2028) in addition to new work where she addresses subjects including divine abjection, the genesis of life, secrets of the sun, cobra kisses, and laser hair removal.

About Isis Awad
Isis Awad is a curator, poet, and DJ from Cairo, Egypt based in the U.S. between New York and Arizona. She’s the founder of Executive Care*, a non-profit curatorial agency at the service of trans and queer artists of color from performance and nightlife communities. Her prose and writing have appeared in publications such as BOMB magazine, Movement Research Journal, and ART PAPERS. She is currently Editor at Participant Inc in New York City. Her debut book of prose and poetry, The First Third, is forthcoming from Nightboat Books in 2028.

About Magnetic Alchemy
Magnetic Alchemy is a healing arts practice facilitated by Ghazal Hesami. Swimming in the depths of the underworld & the collective psyche, Magnetic Alchemy brings light to the shadow through astrological forecasts & eastern philosophy. 

 

About the Exhibition
Light as Resistance is an exhibition of paintings, drawings, 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, 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.

Accessibility Information
Accessible parking near a ramp is available on the south side of McCormick St., in front of MOCA’s main entrance. MOCA has an accessible restroom in the lobby and all exhibition spaces are ADA compliant. MOCA is committed to providing access to the arts for everyone; for additional information or for accessibility requests, please call MOCA’s front desk at 520.624.5019 or email info@moca-tucson.org.