Origins of Illusionism Art in Syncretic Forms of Culture

The purpose of the article is to investigate the origins of illusionism art in syncretic forms of culture. The research methodology consists in the application of analytical, semiotic, and hermeneutic methods in the study of illusionism as a phenomenon of folk creativity that serves as a means of communication, accumulating a layer of sociocultural experience of the society. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that for the first time the phenomenon of illusionism art is analysed in the cultural plane. In our research the illusionism art consists of works belonging to various genres that arise in a certain environment and perform ritual-magical, ceremonial, and entertainment functions, representing a cross-section of concrete-historical mass consciousness and culture. Conclusions. The illusionism art, which comprise illusion and manipulation, is a separate cultural phenomenon that incorporates a number of religious beliefs, folklore traditions, and samples of artistic creativity, forming as a process of social interaction. Illusionism combines the results of the evolution of knowledge and methods of their representation with the elements of general communication that form a symbiosis of cognitive and entertaining cultural content. As a means of intercultural communication based on a verbal and non-verbal component, illusionism has shown the ability to form social and cultural dialogue, which affected the general dynamics of cultural processes in the development of society. 
Key words: illusionism art, syncretism, ritual-magical forms of culture, rite, myth, communication, culture, folklore, religion.