Thursday, June 23, 2011

Two tarots

The Bone Tarot
by Ricardo Olvera

A newly friended artist and writer from Mexico City has created a series of assemblages exploring each archetype of the Major Arcana of the Tarot through found objects. The panel shown (1st image) is his interpretation of The Sun. Of the Bone Tarot, Ricardo Olvera writes:
"By using animal bones to represent the Tarot cards, the pieces reference both life and death. The tension between the two reinforces the duality of existence, and brings the viewer face to face with mortality and meaning. The Bone Tarot can be seen as a symbolic mandala. Each piece has its individual meaning, and together they complete a conceptual puzzle. The viewers are invited to draw their own interpretations from the visual language of the work."
The Bone Tarot will be shown at the University of Nevada in Reno, where Olvera currently resides, so if you live nearby, you have the opportunity to see his work and meet the artist:

Exhibition: June 29 - July 30, 2011, Sheppard Fine Arts Gallery
, Main Floor, Church Fine Arts Building
Opening: Wednesday, July 13, Artist lecture 5:30-6:30 pm, followed by Reception 6:30-8:00 pm

After Olvera introduced himself to me, I put him in touch with the artist of another tarot...

The Wormweird Tarot
by George Higham

Longtime friend George Higham designed and published a tarot deck a few years ago. He describes it:
"The Wormweird Tarot
is the doorway to a Victorian neverland of dark myths, strange magicks and weird technologies. Herein, you will bear witness to the vengeance of angels, the birth of monsters and the death of man. It is an art gallery, a spook-house, a waxworks, a cabinet of curiosities, yet above all, a Tarot deck. You certainly don't need to know how to read the Tarot to enjoy it, but it was created to conform to the use of divination if you so choose."
Higham's version of The Sun is shown (2nd image). His limited edition deck is out-of-print, but is sometimes available on Noble Knights or eBay.

The tarot dates back to the mid-15th c. If you would like to read more about its history, I found The Mystical Origins of the Tarot and The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination on Google Books.

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