Le Tarot de Saint-Martin-le-Gaillard is named for the village in Normandy where this series was made. I began the work during the newcube residency in Saint-Martin-le-Gaillard, surrounded by rivers and an old water mill. The deck reflects that setting, treating tarot not as a fixed system but as something shaped by place, time, and experience. This exhibition presents all twenty-two cards of the Major Arcana, painted in watercolor on cardstock.
Tarot itself is closely tied to the celebrated French fortune-teller from Normandy, Anne-Marie Lenormand, who rose to prominence during the reign of Napoleon. Lenormand used cards not only for divination but as tools of social navigation, gaining access to political and aristocratic circles at a time when women’s power was otherwise limited. Her life and influence informed this series, grounding it in both local history and the legacy of card-based divination.
Tarot has repeatedly gained popularity during moments of political and social instability. Originating as a card game, it later evolved into a system of divination and self-reflection. Its resurgence during periods such as the French Revolution, the rise of nineteenth-century spiritualism, and the feminist and countercultural movements of the late twentieth century reflects a recurring need for symbolic frameworks when traditional structures feel unreliable. Once again, in a moment of global uncertainty, tarot offers a way to interpret change, agency, and fate. Today, tarot’s renewed visibility mirrors these conditions. Amid political upheaval, shifting social structures, and widespread distrust of established narratives, tarot provides a language of interpretation rather than prediction. It allows space for ambiguity, projection, and personal meaning.
The works in this exhibition draw directly from my sculptural practice, translating its characters and concerns into two-dimensional form. The figures of the Major Arcana, The Magician, The Devil, The Hermit, The Hanged Man, The Wheel of Fortune, among others, appear as costumed personas. Like clothing, tarot operates through immediate visual recognition, relying on gesture, silhouette, and symbol to communicate before language intervenes. Each card becomes a staged encounter, where meaning remains unstable and contingent on the viewer.
