'Hell’s Bells' in Sag Harbor

Keyes Art in Sag Harbor opens “Hell’s Bells,” an exhibition organized by Kin Teare featuring work by Caroline Snow, Teare and Suzannah Wainhouse, on Saturday, October 1, with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. The show runs through October 16.

Hell’s bells is a genus of nine species of poisonous flowering plants belonging to the family Solanaceae. Daturas are known as powerful psychedelics, used for shamanic and medical purposes, as well as poisons.

The mysteries of nature are deeply enchanting and the idea behind “Hell’s Bells” is to create an access point and vision to a world unseen by the naked eye. The hallucinogenic plants both tempt and taunt, drawing viewers closer to the unknown, the edge or center, however it might be perceived. Teare, Snow and Wainhouse share an intuitive interest in these ideas — this show captures their individual expressions to ritual and the supernatural.

In 2016 Teare organized “View From Within” at Keyes/Borghi in New York City. There, he was introduced to Suzannah Wainhouse and loved her colorful shamanistic paintings immediately.

“The three of us wanted to show together … ‘Hell’s Bells,’ a title and theme brought to us by Suzannah, is the first exhibition where the dream has been realized. The title ‘Hell’s Bells’ takes its name from the Datura plant and the subject has been expanded to include any mood-changing plant or flower.”

Keyes Art is at 45 Main Street in Sag Harbor. For details, call 631-808-3588 or visit juliekeyesart.com.