Drawings from The Rosicrucian Papers of Sissarrad G. Balyan is an exhibition of anonymous works on paper, selected and mounted by Ian Whittlesea. The drawings originate from the private collection of engineer Sissarrad G. Balyan who, in the 1950s, was a member of the Rosicrucian order (AMORC) in California. When the artist acquired Balyan's collection on eBay a few years ago, he discovered an extensive archive of papers, correspondence, diagrams and drawings that are documented in his latest book, The Rosicrucian Papers of Sissarrad G. Balyan.

Over the last 25 years, Whittlesea has produced a body of artworks and books that have been collectively described as 'instruction manuals for transcendental exercise'. This area of the artist's practice draws on the intertwined histories of modernism and mysticism, particularly the esoteric traditions that believe revelation comes from control of breath and body. 

This exhibition at Canopy Collections HQ coincides with the launch of Whittlesea's book The Rosicrucian Papers of Sissarrad G. Balyan, published by The Everyday Press in London.