Text by chen chuanduan

From a historical perspective, the invention of photography itself possesses a certain "mystical" characteristic—it reveals time and space that humans have never directly witnessed, granting them a permanent material form. This act of capturing and stitching together time and space is fundamentally akin to the way Hermeticists use the Emerald Tablet to interpret the secret laws of the universe, or how medieval alchemists infused the soul into matter with the Philosopher's Stone: both aim to imprison invisible forces within material vessels, akin to a form of spiritism.

In this sense, photography transcends the simple definition of replicating reality and becomes a cauldron for the wizard (photographer) to brew magical potions. It transforms human imagination of the unknown, healing of trauma, longing for eternity, and accusations of power into tangible visual relics. The dual meaning of the word manifestation in the title refers both to the chemical development process in a darkroom (the physical aspect of photography) and the spiritual channeling between artistic concepts and reality (the metaphysical aspect).

Based on the mystical characteristic of visual style and core expression, this feature focuses on eleven photographers from different countries and cultural backgrounds, forming a hidden investigative committee: Joan Alvado's documentation of ancient witchcraft in the Portuguese mountains and Prin Rodriguez's reconstruction of holy mountain pilgrimages in neon lights are memory copies of vanishing traditions; Alvin Ng's cosmic Zen and Claudia Fuggetti's dream-landscapes share a visual code that questions how the boundaries of human thought and consciousness are being redefined; Eleana Konstantellos André’s bloodthirsty monsters and Elena Helfrecht’s winter-night forest ghosts are unsettling, exploring how the human instinct of fear manifests in alienated realities.

When placed in the context of contemporary photography, these works collectively point to the mystical characteristic of photographic art - by framing the present reality and encoding it into an understandable system of metaphors. As alchemist Paracelsus believed: "All visible things exist to reveal the invisible." In the 21st century, these artists are performing the mission of the medieval scriptorium: not merely recording the world, but crafting visual amulets for the unspeakable, writing encrypted poetic texts about existence, memory, rebellion, and self-redemption in the space between mysticism and rationalism.

The simple realism of ancient witchcraft takes on a new urgency in the current era of technological frenzy. Joan Alvado’s recordings in the Alto Minho region of Portugal lie somewhere between fantasy and ethnographic study, resembling a spiritual archaeology through time. Due to natural isolation, the region still preserves rich supernatural traditions, from communication with the dead to witchcraft and exorcism rituals. Alvado uses his lens to document these practices, which are seen as outdated folk superstitions. The images create a mystical domain, solemn and ancient, where the forces of light and darkness eternally battle in this symbolic mountain range. These spiritual experiences, transcending daily life, converge into Os Batismos da Meia-Noite, becoming a visual heritage of ancient traditions in the 21st century.