NeoHooDoo: Art for a Forgotten Faith

Forget what you thought you knew about art and spirituality. This isn’t Sunday school—it’s NeoHooDoo: a soulful, boundary-breaking journey into ritual, healing, and ancestral memory across the Americas. Inspired by poet Ishmael Reed’s 1970 concept of “NeoHooDoo,” this electrifying book explores how artists have long tapped into alternative spiritualities and folk practices to push back against the dominant narratives of history, religion, and culture.

From sacred altars to protest performances, from healing chants to mythic symbols, NeoHooDoo: Art for a Forgotten Faith reveals how thirty-three trailblazing artists—including Jimmie Durham, David Hammons, José Bedia, Rebecca Belmore, and James Lee Byars—turned to ritual as a form of expression, rebellion, and rebirth. Emerging voices like Tania Bruguera and Michael Joo show us how the power of ritual still burns in contemporary art today. Inside, you’ll find original essays that explore ritual as therapy, transformation, and political critique—alongside words from NeoHooDoo’s very inspirations: Robert Farris Thompson, Ishmael Reed, and Quincy Troupe.

More than a catalog, this is a cultural spellbook for those drawn to art that dares to channel spirits, history, and revolution. Born from an unforgettable exhibition presented by The Menil Collection, this book charts the exhibition’s transformative journey through Houston, New York, and Miami—from 2008 to 2009—and now, into your hands. Step into the circle. Reclaim forgotten faith. Channel the unseen.

Magic. Memory. Resistance. Ritual.

Details 

• Hardcover
• 144 pages with 7 b/w and 88 color illustrations 
• Dimension: 10in x 8.5in