The Other Side: A Story of Women in Art and the Spirit World
Published 2023 by Weidenfeld & Nicholson
Published 2023 by Hachette Australia
‘Unconventional ways of knowing are at the heart of Jennifer Higgie’s The Other Side: A Journey into Women, Art and the Spirit World, in which she offers a majestic account of the ways in which women’s art has developed in response to spiritual experience. […] The reach of Higgie’s book is endlessly surprising and ambitious. […] The resulting dialogue is a rich and moving account of creativity, one that invites us to engage with alternative modes of being. At a time when there is a ‘widespread hunger for new ways of inhabiting the planet’, Higgie’s corrective history not only encourages a different kind of attunement to the world and our place in it, but also brings long- overdue recognition to the women who were bold enough to step out of the fray and give shape and colour to new ways of seeing.’
— Stephanie Bishop, The Monthly
‘ [I] found The Other Side endlessly intriguing. I wasn’t converted, but I was rather enchanted.’
— Lucy Scholes, The Telegraph
‘The strength of Higgie’s book is that it is not merely another treatise on the wrongs suffered by women artists throughout history. This tale is about something much larger than grievance.
There is a vein of optimism and wonder running through the text. The women whom Higgie profiles created, and they did so despite cultural scorn.’
— Mary Gabriel, The New York Times
‘An entrancing look at formerly neglected artists who navigated thresholds between this world and the next, and a crucial exploration of realms formerly dismissed. Elegantly expanded my thinking on the eternal mystery of where art comes from.’
— Sinéad Gleeson, author of Constellations
‘Wonderful . . . Higgie guides us through overlooked stories from the history of art and reveals the insights into the nature of imagination which reside there. Illuminating in every sense of the word.’
— Jennifer Lucy Allan, author of The Foghorn’s Lament
‘Jennifer Higgie is the most splendid of guides on this enthralling journey of a book. With tremendous intelligence, sensitivity and a receptivity nearly equal to that of her subjects, she leads us through a gallery of remarkable women artists whose dialogue with other realms became the font of their creativity as well as a sanctuary. Excellent, inspiring and transformative.’
— John Higgs, author of William Blake vs The World
‘In effervescent and atmospheric prose, Jennifer Higgie explores some of history's most innovative artists and their spiritual investigations into this realm and the next. I was entranced from start to finish, as she takes us on both a personal and artistic journey across time and across the globe. The Other Side is an exhilarating read.’
— Chloe Aridjis, author of Sea Monsters