Shamanic and visionary art: From the origins of human creativity to commodity culture

“... if there is anything which increases our consciousness, I don’t care if it’s a religion, a food, a drug, a sexual product, a magazine. If there is anything which increases our consciousness we should find out what it is and get with it. And once you’ve increased your consciousness – a little, a lot, some – it’s not doing any good then unless it’s embodied, and the way it’s embodied, I think, is by pushing the art pedal to the floor. It’s the only pedal which we have been allowed to touch.” Terrence McKenna

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the area of shamanic and visionary art, from its prehistoric origins to the contemporary art world. The question of whether or not it is possible for art of this nature to have an impact on our present society, either by offering a healing or transcendental experience to groups or individuals, or by altering the collective consciousness of society in a positive manner, will also be examined. There is myriad evidence of a connection between art and magical or shamanic ritual in ‘primitive’ and ancient cultures, just as there are many modern examples of ‘visionary’ and ‘shamanic’ artists. This thesis will ask whether or not the effects of the work of these contemporary artists can be compared to those of shamanic ritual in other cultures, if these effects are hindered in any way by the capitalist framework of the contemporary art industry and government controlled institutions, or indeed, if they have any effects at all.