Large-scale, multi-piece sculptures standing balanced by their own weight accompany ceramic tablets colored cream and periwinkle, which hang along the walls of Anne Reid ‘72 Gallery, echoing in their sudden coalition the deeds of a goddess from centuries ago. Hekate is her name, and she is a Greek goddess associated with fire, witchcraft, and transformation. In our search for the spiritual, returning to the philosophies of ancient times lends fresh wisdom, lighting compelling paths forward.
These paths, visually erected through Insogna’s ceramic works, are imbued with Greek antiquity’s strain of spirituality and are meant to guide one along to their own divine connection. In this way, the past inspires Insogna’s current pieces. And so, Exquisite Traces is a song sung for the ancient Goddess. As a research artist, Insogna reinterprets and retranslates ancient Greek texts through a queer, inclusive lens, taking her discoveries straight to the kiln. Thus, an extensive feminine spirit radiates off of Exquisite Traces, proffering a space for people to sensorially ponder the ancient. To a fine degree, she works with the Chaldean Oracles, which are a set of sacred philosophical texts written in the second century CE.
The Chaldean Oracles have come down to us through Greek translations and were held in the greatest esteem throughout antiquity. They were relevant in a time when Greeks worshiped traditional Gods and Goddesses, women were bound to the house, and men were either governing city-states or fighting in distant battles between the second century CE and the sixth century CE. The text survives merely in fragments, and many of these fragments’ meanings have been obscured by shoddy translation—-something Insogna seeks to rectify herself. From present translations, we learn of the Oracles’ worldview, one influenced by the conviction in purifying the soul (typically through fire) so it can break free of the body and its senses and ascend to union with the Transcendent reality. This belief resonates through the process of clay alone, which we know only becomes art upon its firing.
The desire for purification, alongside antiquity’s proclivity for performing rites and rituals to get oneself there, speaks to the primal urge to connect with a greater, deeper power and state of being. Apropos to this is how Insogna has held many performances using her works, activating them as centerpieces in rituals of transformation, including the one above. As Insogna has worked with all of this material, Hekate has entered the spotlight of her ceramic oeuvre, taking on the aura of a muse. In the Chaldean Oracles, Hekate is the source of primordial, life-giving fire. She’s also the goddess of witchcraft, frequently associated with serpents and crossroads, and is capable of doing both good and evil. Sculptures possess a lot of personality, and here, Insogna’s propel the manifold persona of Hekate.
Duality confounds (these gently undulating waves of scintillating cerulean can’t consist of something as brittle as ceramic stoneware!) as the past and present cohere along the careening surface of Ancient Serpent – Dual Goddess – star-flame-tree. Cleansing fires, phases of the moon, wheels of time, and darting fish embed layers of meaning onto this three-tiered piece. The Oracles held man to be composed of three kinds of Souls, which may respectively be called: First, the Intelligible, or divine soul; Second, the Intellect or rational soul; and Third, the Irrational, or passionate soul. The third was regarded as subject to mutation, to be dissolved and perish at the death of the body. Of the Intelligible, or divine soul, the Oracles teach that “It is a bright fire, which, by the power of the Father, remaineth immortal, and is Mistress of Life.”[1] In this vein, star-flame-tree embodies these three disparate parts of the soul––the star at the top represents our bright fire, the flame in the middle our purified rational self, and the tree stump strong at the bottom bears our roots. Via these symbols and the scores of jutting-out quartz which texture the piece, this sculpture is charged with energy resounding of Hekate’s spellbinding glory. Replete with mother of pearl and glinting oxides, it illuminates itself in unexpected ways, like a pale moon shining at early dusk.
Looking more closely at the messenger/angel allows more of the image to reveal itself. A widely-winged angel carries a woman in his arms. The sky crisscrosses and crosshatches behind them as he looks down at her. Insogna’s precision with color and line shines distinctly. The Greek language is scored by gender––every noun has one––and in magical texts Insogna has pieced together a hierarchy of divinities which positions angels as masculine and at the top with other divinities as female or non-binary and set at the bottom. Reevaluating this today is worthwhile. What makes an angel angelic? In this glazed image, being seen as a solemn savior.
Another mesmerizing slab of glazed ceramic presented is garden. Blooming-blue hydrangeas come to mind, and Insogna’s words are comforting: “The Hortus Conclusus (enclosed garden) is a place carefully protected from invasion, labored over and nurtured and a space where the strange, divine, mundane and beautiful come together in poetic placement. I see this aspect of the Goddess expressing herself as a pause and a time for reflection as well as separation from the rest of the world. This separation and delay are integral to the path of individuation and self-study.” That being said, everyone should have their own Hortus Conclusus.
Exquisite Traces elegantly draws us into a dialogue between ancient wisdom and modern identity. It’s essential to uncover the histories that are meaningful to you. These works, steeped in the goddess-worshiping spirit of Greek antiquity, invite us to reflect on our own journeys of spiritual and personal transformation. And they remind us that there are alternate, and sometimes better, ways of interpreting ideas. By engaging with ancient texts through a contemporary lens, Insogna not only revives these old symbols but also redefines them, creating a space where the divine is accessible to all. Ultimately, Exquisite Traces reminds us that some art has the power to bridge worlds—past and present, mythical and real—leading us toward self-discovery and a renewed sense of connection with the sacred.
The Chaldean Oracles, UMass Boston
Exquisite Traces showing at Anne Reid ‘72 Gallery, Princeton Day School through December 3, 2024 @annereid72gallery
About the writer: Amalia Rizos is a writer residing in North Carolina. She graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts this past May 2024 and is Greek-American.