Mothership NYC Presents: PICK A CARD, ANY CARD, A TAROT-THEMED TRAVELING SHOW
Marking our peer community’s 20th anniversary in 2025, this show unites 25 Mothershipper artists jointly representing 20 countries. The NYC exhibit is the first in an ongoing international tour: up next are additional shows in Brazil, Italy, South Africa, and more to come!
This initial round presents the 22 Major Arcana cards of the Tarot deck. For the subsequent exhibitions, we will also add interpretations of the 56 Minor Arcana cards by other Mothershipper artists from all over the world. When all artworks are complete, we will print an actual Tarot card deck—feel free to reach out if you want one!
~EXHIBITION PREVIEW by Curator Cristina Pizzuto
The Fool @michelplatnic (France/Israel)
The Magician @marjolijndewit (Netherlands)
The Hight Priestess @hanslemmen.artist (Netherlands/Belgium)
The Empress @maibrittwolthers (Denmark/Brazil)
The Emperor @kirstywhitenstudio (Scotland)
The Hierophant @artbyahmedumar (Sudan/Norway)
The Lovers @sensoryreceptors + @rolfbenmaria (Germany)
The Chariot @pateraperego_studio (Italy)
Strength @aomikukuchi (Japan)
The Hermit @madalenajpequito (Portugal)
The Wheel of Fortune @bjorn_hegardt (Sweden/Germany)
Justice @jeannewilkinson (USA)
The Hanged Man @diane.victor (South Africa)
Temperance @artist_marita_isobel_solberg (Norway)
Death @kloneyourself (Ukraine/Israel)
The Devil @barbara.fragogna (Italy)
The Tower @xy_ankamierzejewska (Poland)
The Star @faith47 (South Africa)
The Moon @elenagretafalcini (Germany)
The Sun @lastfrontiernyc (Norway/USA)
Judgment @riccardo_matlakas (Italy/England)
The World @art_photography_sapmi (Norway)
Wild Card @mmwittmer (Switzerland)
CURATORIAL STATEMENT (Cristina Pizzuto)
While New York may still represent the City of Dreams for artists worldwide, the opportunities for creatives from other countries to find a footing here keep shrinking. Mothership NYC, a live-work space and presentation arena in Brooklyn for international artists of all disciplines, offers a supportive environment that provides meeting spaces for people from diverse backgrounds and promotes innovational exchange.
The purpose of this exhibition is to establish a platform for communication that fosters a climate of openness rather than barriers and imposed values. In these partisan times where many identity groups form silos, we aim to highlight the potential for each of us to coexist as interconnected participants who have the power to influence and shape one another. This exhibition takes its cue from the Tarot, an ancient deck of 78 cards used for games and fortune-telling. First appearing around the mid-1400s, Tarot cards continue to captivate public interest due to their universal symbolism and interpretive depth. Tarots are recognized across various parts of the globe as a tool for both individual and collective interpretation.
Engaging with this current popular fascination, this exhibition presents original artworks by a diverse group of international artists offering subjective interpretations of the Tarot’s 22 Major Arcana characters, plus one wild card. Each artist weaves together elements that conjure the essence of the archetypal figure, crafting a narrative that reflects its unique, age-old symbolism through contemporary means in present-day settings. Just like the Tarot permits a range of interpretations, each artist chooses which story they want to share. And much like the cards revealed during a fortune-telling session, each artwork will prompt introspection and multiple readings. Therefore, the objective of this exhibition echoes that of Mothership NYC: to offer a fertile and collaborative space for intellectual and creative engagement.
In traditional Tarot reading, each card’s meaning acquires additional layers when juxtaposed with other cards. This approach involves viewing the characters not solely as individual entities, but rather as interacting constituents forming a larger, richer narrative together: the full story does not emerge until the cards are placed in relation to each other, forming a cohesive and interconnected sequence. In such a setting, individual interpretations of our world are allowed to intersect, influence, and blend with one another. This opens the door for previously unthought possibilities, reminding us that it is through cross-pollination and exchange that new meanings and novel concepts emerge.
REFRESHMENTS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING RECEPTIONS GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY THE ROYAL NORWEGIAN CONSULATE IN NEW YORK.
Photos from opening reception by Rosie Feerick.
COMING SOON: Updates on the next chapters of this ongoing saga!