Gnosis | Occult perspectives in Art opened last night at Nature: Art + Design in Auckland and runs through to 16 November. This features work by Abby Helasdottir, along with Mary MacGregor-Reid, Math Kabryn, Melanie Tahata, Joel Bradley, Jared Holland and Steven Johnson Leyba. |gnos·tic [nos-tik] 1. pertaining to knowledge. 2. possessing knowledge, especially esoteric knowledge. |Gnosis describes an individual’s attainment of inner understanding of the nature of the universe and it’s parts – often through life-long perseverance, frustrating examination, and mystical initiation – involving great sacrifice and usually subtle but real risk to themselves. Those who are privy to these supra-human states of knowledge-in-being often accomplish feats that surpass what is normal – and may be described as “magical” by…