Visionary art and the limits of social constructivism
Visual Studies July 16, 2026 Orsolya Bajusz
Visionary art, influenced by a shift toward (hyper)spatial perspectives, breaks from postmodernism by creating portals to other ontological realms and non-human visual paradigms rather than remixing cultural symbols. This paper proposes a methodology for analyzing visionary images from N, N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) use and Artificial Intelligence (AI) generation, focusing on the agency of non-human entities and dimensions. It shifts analysis from semiotics and representation to the topology of non-human spaces, examining how the constellation of agency between humans and non-humans is changing. The paper advocates for visual studies to accommodate these new epistemics and take such images seriously.