Featuring: Oreet Ashery, Karlos Carcamo, Andrea Frank, Scott Lifshutz,Douglas Kelley, Emma McCagg, Paul Mullins, Dan Perrone, Liselot Van der Heijden

Curated by Raúl Zamudio.

Animal magnetism, which has also been called mesmerism, was based on the therapeutic value of hypnotism. The term first appears in Franz Anton Mesmer’s 1874 dissertation in regards to the influence of heavenly bodies on humans and their physical, mental and emotional health by means of what he called “animal gravity.” This “energy” that he detected was different from physical magnetism in that Mesmer believed that he could “magnetize” paper, glass, dogs and all manner of animate and inanimate objects and substances. He regarded this force, which he said could be exerted by one living organism over another, as a means of alleviating disease.

In the contemporary lexicon, animal magnetism also refers to sexuality in that a person can have such seductive qualities that he/she can bring out the carnal nature of a person via their animal magnetism.

Animal Magnetism explores these topics as well as the zoomorphic dimension of humans and the anthropomorphizing of animals.