Minor Arcana/Major Cool

Admit it: you think Tarot cards are kinda cool.

Whether you’re an occultist with a dedicated divinatory practice or just a fan of baroque illustration, there’s nothing like thumbing through a deck of 78 eerie, symbol-laden tableaux. It feels primitive, prayerful—and not just because you may be rippling the vicissitudes of fate. A big part of the fascination is seeing certain life changers—love, death, bad luck, travel—interpreted pictorially, according to the artist’s vision and the demands of history.

So naturally, Tarot makes for a good creative prompt. And the folks at newish Light Grey Art Lab are using it as such. Each card was assigned to an artist, who had to produce his or her interpretation and create a drawing on a tight deadline. There were 78 cards created in total—a complete, original deck, curated by Lindsay Nohl—and this week the art space unveils its Light Grey Tarot.

The art is eclectic. Everything from comic-book illustrations of H.P. Lovecraft to B. Paul Patterson’s unsettling, vaguely murderous photo montages of earth and fire. A preview of the deck can be found online.

The show of mystical and occult-inspired art accompanying the deck went up last weekend. But the official opening reception is this Friday. Visitors can arrange for a reading with professional Tarot expert Corrine Kenner. The following Saturday, the Lab’s own Lindsay Nohl will offer a donations-based mini workshop on how to read the cards.

Tarot, Mystics and the Occult
Opening reception Friday, October 26
7­–10 p.m.
Light Grey Art Lab, 118 E. 26th St., Mpls.
lightgreyartlab.com