56 Henry is pleased to present Triplet states (+1), an exhibition of new spells, divinations, and talismans by Los Angeles based mage and artist L.

Triplet states (+1) will be on view September 6 through October 22, 2023 at 56 Henry Street, and is L’s first exhibition with the gallery. An opening will be held on September 6 in observance of the Quarter Moon.

L has been conducting ritual and ceremony for the past few years that reaches for expansions outside of dualist and binary consensus worldviews. Triplet states (+1) aligns with this trajectory as it relates to terrestrial matters and the navigation of life. This exhibition is one of three, with Triplet states (0) opening in February 2024 on the full moon at Babst Gallery, Los Angeles. The third, Triplet states (-1), exists in aetherial realms. The main focus of the three exhibitions is towards the collective realization of ontologies that embrace omniversal cosmologies and togetherness, cycles, timelessness, spacelessness, and trinary+ identities and metastructures.

For Triplet states (+1), L has crafted three new spells in Murano glass vessels. Each manifests things and experiences in relation to the fulfillment of Earthly desires, and to being in a human body. Every item that has been placed into the womb of the spells has a magical function, which often creates peculiar juxtapositions. Some components were charged in ritual before they were added to the vessels. When the objects are combined into their respective microcosms, suspended in oil, they produce a cumulative energy that is greater than their individual essence.

On the walls of the gallery are six divinations, carried out by L this year in Los Angeles. These hydromancy readings emerged from watercolors, ink, paper, and a variety of waters: ceremonial water, moon water, essence water, rain water, ocean water, tap water. Each is encased in oak frames that were handmade by the artist.

Talismanic toroidal altar (2022–23) was initially constructed at Documenta 15 last year, in response to a curatorial request for L to conduct magic in service of their fellow artists. The main structure is a chromed coat rack from the D15 exhibition venue St. Kunigundis church, that was gifted to L by the local anarchist priest. One accoutrement hanging from the altar is a steel lemon juicer, utilized at D15 as an incense burner. For this exhibition, a new incense will be activated - 333 - that L co-created with perfumer Christopher Gordon of Maison Anonyme.

Each of the Triplet states exhibitions highlights L and their triplet siblings Jenny and Nathan. Individually and together, the three inhabit realities and ways of being that exist outside of predominant societal frameworks. Nathan visited Earth for one month before transitioning to aetherial realms. Jen and L experienced significant birth complications that caused both of them to be neurodivergent and resulted in Jen’s physical disabilities. Yet the triplets see themselves as gifted - as oracles - with abilities to see, do, and know things that are beyond what can be quantified or contained.

Jen often weaves colorful bracelets that bring angelic blessings and protection to those who wear them. A handful of her bracelets will be on view in the exhibition. Nathan asked L and Jen to also include a contribution from him.

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L (1984, Salt Lake City, Utah) has drawn upon knowledge obtained from a lifelong practice of folk ritual, ceremonial magic, and occultism in the creation of the spells, divinations, and talismans in the exhibition.

They have been the subject of solo exhibitions at The Ranch, Montauk, NY; Marlborough, New York, NY; Stems Gallery, Brussels, Belgium; JOAN, Los Angeles, CA; Center for Land Use Interpretation, Wendover, NV; Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, Salt Lake City, UT. Select collective and group exhibitions including L’s work have been held at Documenta 15, Kassel; The Getty Museum, Los Angeles; Gagosian Gallery, Beverly Hills; Jeffrey Deitch + Nicodim, Los Angeles; Kerry Schuss, New York City; CAPITAL, San Francisco; WOAW Gallery, Hong Kong; Nicodim Gallery, Bucharest; The Ghetto Biennale, Port-au-Prince, among many others. L’s work has been reviewed in Frieze Magazine, Artforum, The New Yorker, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and Spike Quarterly, among others. L is featured in Taschen’s recent books: Witchcraft. The Library of Esoterica (2022), and Plant Magick. The Library of Esoterica (2023).