Embassy of the Free Mind

For the long-running project for which we already went to the Kulturbahnhof residency in Brandenburg, and for which we have been invited for an artist residency at The Frans Masereel Centrum later this year, Uta and I now dive into the archives.

Between 18 and 25 May, we may browse through very old books at the Embassy of the Free Mind. To find more substantive, theoretical and visual knowledge for our artistic project.

The Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, Amsterdam

The Library of Hermetic Philosophy is the library collection of the Embassy of the Free Mind. The collection comprises more than 28,000 books, including about 2,300 ancient books and three hundred manuscripts from the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th centuries; rare, often beautifully illustrated works.

Ritman Research Institute

The Ritman Research Institute is dedicated to studying the history of hermetic streams of thought. Named for the founder of the library, Joost R. Ritman, the Ritman Research Institute is dedicated to studying the history of hermetic streams of thought, especially those in which the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica has strong holdings: hermetica, mysticism, Christian theosophy, heterodoxy, alchemy, Rosicrucians, Freemasonry, Jewish and Christian Kabbala, comparative religion and Western Esotericism.

Uta and I previously had a small glimpse of this special collection. We cannot wait for all the stories and images we will see and discover there.

Read more about the Embassy of the Free Mind and The Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica on their website.