Fred Tomaselli

Having recently finished TechGnosis, Erik Davis's fascinating exploration of the various esoteric and mystical currents lurking within our supposedly rational technological society, I'm currently reading Nomad Codes, a superb collection of articles by the same author on, among other subjects, Philip K. Dick, Terence McKenna, Goa trance, African trickster gods, Lee Perry, H.P. Lovecraft, and Burmese transvestite "spirit mediums." The cover features the extraordinary psychedelic art of Fred Tomaselli, who incorporates pills and herbs (legal and otherwise) as well as fragments of found images into his paintings before coating them in resin and varnishes. His work also adorns the excellent Wounded Galaxies Tap at the Window LP by Cyclobe (bottom). See more at James Cohan Gallery and White Cube.

Das Kabinett des Jan Švankmajer

A while ago I complained that the art of Jan Švankmajer wasn't easy to come by. This exhibition catalogue rectifies the situation with numerous reproductions of his collage chimaeras, photos of his "natural history cabinet" of fantastical creatures made from found objects, and stills from his short films and features.

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Form Is Void recently posted an animated short, The Torchbearer, by Jan's son Václav Švankmajer, and it's a remarkable piece of work. Below are some of his paintings and collages, more of which can be found here.