An excerpt from Charlie's new publication, the Gay Marseille, introducing the classic Tarot de Marseille and its role as a tarot deck for the people.
Queering the Tarot de Marseille with Charlie Claire Burgess
Category: Creator features
Hanging out in sci-fi worlds with Zeke’s Lunchbox
"I started off my career by making alien animals and sci-fi worlds as an escape from everyday life and to heal from the brutality of the world. But now that I’m older, I feel brave enough to explore this in my work."
What home means: Re-membering miracles, care & connection with Elia Fushi Bekene
"Home to me feels like a return. So much of the path to liberation is the coming home, the return to the full potential of what we are and I find that home is the container that allows us to unfold in this way."
Making old things new again: Jameson Hampton & the Tarot of Sorts
"My love of tarot is related to this love of old things, this connection I feel with every printmaker and tarot reader that has come before me. So for me, letterpress and tarot go together quite naturally, and thus the Tarot of Sorts was born."
The Dimlit Tarot: A deck about power, community, & transformation
"It is a deck that speaks softly, but strikes deep with its insight. It is a deck that acknowledges the politics that govern our lives, but remembers that we must fight to solve the problems they cause – and we do not have to fight alone."
Meet the Creator: Krystal Banner on colour, culture, & 2020 Visions
"I believe we are spiritual beings, but we can't bypass that whole 'having a human experience' part and everything that comes with it."
Music as transformative self care: Alexa Dexa’s Sacrosanct Oracle//Composition Deck
"I love the way sound can transport us, a portal into our inner landscapes and wisdom, an opportunity to learn to listen more deeply to ourselves."
Oli Starfrosting’s Talisman Tarot: A monoprint tarot inspired by magic, cartomancy, & the Marseille
Following up on the success of their Jewitchy deck the Hidden Light Tarot, Oli Starfrosting's new Talisman Tarot is a queer descendant of the Tarot de Marseilles.
Felix Kawitzky’s queer trans anticapitalist sci-fi space tarot might actually save the world
"I believe that resistance and revolution can be seeded in art. Allowing our brains to experiment with different futures can help those futures feel possible."
Charlie Claire Burgess: Art, gender, & creating the Fifth Spirit Tarot
Charlie is a non-binary spirit in a human home who's gay for other queers! Based in Portland, Oregon, Charlie is the artist and author behind the Fifth Spirit Tarot.
Casey Rocheteau on surviving 2020 & embracing queer monsters
"I imagine the Shrine of the Black Medusa as a space where you can be your full self, with all of your trauma, faults, charms, and questions"
E Lubanko’s Tarot is surreal, intense, queer, & divine
"...my queer art is this way: it is loud, it is intense, it is sensual and dark and unapologetic and looks nightmares and reality (and the overlap) in the eye."
Mariza Ryce Aparicio-Tovar: Heal yourself, heal the earth
"As an indigenous woman, it has been natural for me to incorporate people of color and the indigenous spiritual values that I grew up with into my work. The Gentle Tarot is for anybody wanting some gentle, loving support."
Tea: Reclaiming Black spirituality & creating the Black Gold Lenormand
"A lot of us are on similar journeys to reclaim stolen and forgotten parts of our history, cultural identity and - honestly - ourselves."
Deva O’Neill of Phaedra Clothing on slow commerce & queer clothing
"My entire queer feminist being is so entwined with PHAEDRA, and I like it that way. My main aim was simplicity, and with that comes an openness with which any identity can find comfort."
Genevieve Barbee-Turner: Celebrating Pittsburgh in the Bridge Witches Tarot
"It’s frustrating to me that in 2019 we don’t see remotely accurate depictions of diversity in our media. This deck is my humble attempt to fill in some gaps."
Chinggay Labrador: Collaging the Practical Magic Tarot
"Inspiration came from Rookie’s aesthetic, which resonates strongly with me as it’s very DIY, zine-like. I grew up in the 90s so I have a soft spot for collage."
Lettie Jane Rennekamp: Redefining femininity in the Many Queens Tarot
"I’m printing this deck for anyone else who likes to look at tarot cards, and laugh, and feel that there is space for their version of beauty."
Andrea Furtick: Creating the Afro Goddess Tarot Arcanas
"I built a portfolio full of melanated goddesses with creamy brown skin tones embracing their femininity and power. I love making art that makes my sisters feel good about themselves."
Irene Mudd: Identity, collage, & the fluidity of symbols
On creating the Guided Hand Tarot, a subversive, queer, collage deck inspired by Hilda af Klint and Hannah Hoch.