Shani Leseman

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Contact or overview available works:
info@shanileseman.nl

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Parrot Witch, 90 x 120 cm, monotype with earth pigments and synthetic pigments, acrylic paint and oilpastel on satin woven cotton

on show at Plucking the Broom, No Limits! Art Castle

Bodies of Water
Mural with earth pigments, drawings with plant inks and photocopies from witches’ zines

in Buitenplaats Kasteel Wijlre
Photos 1, 2: Peter Cox

Showing a new monotype painting and driftwood collage works in Plucking the Broom
at No Limits! Art Castle with fellow witches 🕯️🐦‍🔥
The driftwood pieces I got from Stefan when I was volunteering at his rescue center on Curacao. Having a bond with another animal, a familiar, was enough to be interpreted as evidence of magical practices and thereby to be accused of witchcraft. To form a bond with other species asks to pay attention to a world that does not exist solely on human terms, to be in touch with one’s surrounding, and that is the basis of many practices of magic and modern witchcraft alike. On the driftwoods are pictures of Goofy, Gail, Sambo, Charlie and Hugo and fragments of several texts on magic and witchcraft 👁️‍🗨️🗯️ Some of them are also collaborations with GC. And all of these works are for sale in the gallery of No Limits between 200-250€, my % will go directly to Stefan’s rescue center <3
The collaged texts are from: 
Water and Dreams - Gaston Bachelard Apocalyptic Witchcraft - Peter Grey
Wikipedia on Familiars
History of Magic - Chris Godsen
The Women’s encyclopedia of Symbols and Sacred Objects - Barbara Walker
Energy Magic - Silvia Hartmann

Showing new work in the exhibition Plucking the Broom at No Limits! Art Castle, opening 4th of September and on show unill 29th of November

17:00 - 21:00, No Limits! Art Castle - Sint Annendwarsstraat 9C

Reason only recently rules here - Act 2 (2026)

A collaboration with Trees Heil.
Both of our practices are rooted in a magical world view, where there is more to life than rational ‘reality’. Things we can feel, dream, vaguely see, things we memorize, predict or imagine. Endless talks and ideas on these topics turned into collaborative photographic works, a result of thinking-by-doing (rather than trying to explain). For this series we are directly inspired by the visual language of spirit photography and brought it to the studio, while we also capture ourselves and thereby, our friendship. 🔮 🔮

Developing a new work where I will paint on the walls of beautiful Hedge House at Buitenplaats Kasteel Wijlre. They will be part of the exhibition Gossip: Magic and Marginalisation curated by Marjolein van der Loo. The mural is inspired by stories of Witte Wieven and experiences as well as research of witchcraft, magic, bodies of water, the surroundings of The Hague & Wijlre, witches’ familiars, hydromancy, hydrofeminism and more. This project is supported by Stroom Den Haag.

Met Gossip: Magie en Marginalisering brengt buitenplaats Kasteel Wijlre hedendaagse kunst en regionale geschiedenis samen in een gelaagde tentoonstelling over uitsluiting, verbondenheid en verbeelding. Vanuit Zuid-Limburg als vertrekpunt onderzoekt de tentoonstelling hoe historische processen van marginalisering – zoals de heksenvervolgingen tussen in de 16e en 17e eeuw – doorwerken in het heden.

Stills from a new video work titled ‘Dogs in Paradise’ a result from a visit to Curacao with my friend GC Heemskerk.
This video is about the dogs and dog spirits of Curacao, about who has the right to roam the streets, the (magical) powers of dogs and their (future) relationships with humans. 🐲🪺
Supported by Stroom Den Haag

Hi, Jack! Publishing will join on the book market at Huis van het Boek on 28th of June and we are making a new publiation by gleaning at de Appel Kiosk at the Dappermarkt. More updates from Hi, Jack here

Reason only recently rules here
act 1
with Trees Heil as part of our ongoing collaborative project My Guides and Me

Both of our practices are rooted in a magical world view, where there is more to life than rational ‘reality’. Things we can feel, dream, vaguely see, things we memorize, predict or imagine. Endless talks and ideas on these topics turned into collaborative photographic works, a result of thinking-by-doing (rather than trying to explain) For this series we are directly inspired by the visual language of spirit photography and brought it to the studio, while we also capture ourselves and thereby, our friendship.