Art Tarot (a 6-hour live workshop and texts)

Theory and method on divining with art Tarots and oracle decks

We look at beauty and structure. Are you collecting many tarot decks? Wonderful. This workshop will speak to your sense of aesthetics, taxonomy and categorization, and divination with the weird.

Not just the historical decks

The method of Reading like the Devil is not reserved to one design, such as the Marseille type of cards, or one cartomancy school, such as the European. We can read like the Devil also when we read Art Tarot.

In this workshop

We look at what we call Art Tarot, who makes art decks, what the function of art decks is, and how we best use art decks for divinatory purpose.

We look at the aesthetic, spiritual, subversive, violent, and erotic aspects of Art Tarot and situate divination along this axis.

We cover basic principles in art as they relate to tarot.

We talk about materiality and embodiment in Art Tarot, and look at artists’ statements as a representation of how art is used as a gate towards understanding both the heart of the tarot, and the heart of the tarot that has become a manifestation of an ’embellished commercial archetype’.

We play games and divine with our art decks via original methods of reading.

We play judge and jury, going back to the basic principles of assessing truth and beauty, in relation to function and intent, evaluating the function of the grotesque in art tarot, and exercising discernment without sympathy and a sense of comradeship and solidarity with the artist. If a deck that presents itself as art tarot is as ugly as hell and devoid of concrete instruction and philosophy, we’ll call it ugly and send it to hell without apology.

We explore these questions

• How can Art Tarot return the reader of cards to the heart of the tarot as a divination tool and as a tool for cultural critique?

• How can Art Tarot change our perception of what we call ‘historical decks’?

• Can Art Tarot remind us of the ‘aura’ of the oracular, now lost in technological and commercial development?

Aim and format

In this online workshop on Art Tarot, based on a one-day live encounter, I introduce you to some distinctions between art and artisan craft, and look at how we can divine with cards that are simply too weird, a lot of fun, smart, or ugly as hell.

The format in two parts

• Theory and practice | recorded live class (2 hours)

• All practice | recorded live class (2 hours)

For the all practice part, the participants brought to the table their own art tarots to discuss.

In my own presentation I drew on tarots that not many have.

But as I introduced the students to a simple method of divining with Art Tarot that can apply generally, you can also get to appreciate your own decks from a new, original, and fresh perspective.

Get the workshop

The live workshop is now made available as an online experience in the form of recordings, (4 hours) and pdf material (58 pages) presented in the workshop.

What they say

“Holy Amazing Art Tarot class – so much fun and SO valuable. I think I might like these Art cards better than the regulars! Thank you Camelia and Bent! And fellow classmates all whom had cool as hell cards and observations. LOVED THIS !!!” – BONNY FILOSA

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“I learned many things from Jodorowsky – not least of which was to be a Marseille snob. I am thankful to have unlearned that particular lesson today. I also discovered that I have number of decks gathering dust (that I had dismissed as irrelevant) that I can usefully use to further my celebration, understanding, and appreciation of life and the universe !” – CAITRIONA REED

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“I enjoyed thinking about what is a true art deck. The idea of using an art deck to get at a deeper layer after using a traditional deck. Seeing all the decks and adding some to my wish list. Price was very fair. It was an excellent experience. It could have been priced higher ($125) and it would have been worth it.” – SHERRYL SMITH

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“It was glorious.” – ANNE DANIELS