With the aid of an initiated witch, Dane Mitchell conjures the spirit of Spinoza to Galerie West. A Guest, A Host, Mitchell's first solo exhibition in the Netherlands, gives space to "other ways of knowing".

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In the classic townhouse in which Galerie West is situated, Mitchell uses its key architectural elements – the fireplaces – and, following the instructions of the witch, has employed various materials including glass, grave dirt, sulphur, and the remnants of needles and candles to create subtle works that are fulfilled by the viewer.

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The artist attempts to call the spirit of Spinoza to the gallery. The contradictory views of Spinoza and New Age thinking form a challenge – the incompatibility of these two positions becomes a compelling trope for Mitchell's visual language and approach.

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Mitchell has also cast several spells as objects in glass. During the process of glassblowing, Mitchell spoke the spells into the molten glass, the form of these delicate objects determined by the uttered words. The exhibition also brings together several diagrammatic schemas and encased materials employed in the invocation of Spinoza.

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These works fit into the methodology of Mitchell's practice, in which he examines forms of knowledge and power. Processes from the fields of bacteriology, anthropology, geology and parapsychology are drawn upon, and by revealing and concealing habits and patterns he comments on mechanisms in the development of cultural practices.