With the tiger as her talisman, Field envisions her tarot as representing a subversive and emerging feminine concept of power. Of her Tiger Tarot, Field states, “tigers are symbolic of a fierce, true inner capacity to survive and rule over their own nature. They take the chaos of the world and create their own space that is protective, and royal.” For Field, the tiger is a bridge between civilizations of the past and the survival of our own.
Though the oldest surviving tarot cards date to the early 1400s in Italy, their imagery points to much earlier forms of mysticism and esoteric philosophies—including Hindu Tantra, the Gnostic Gospels, Celtic paganism, early Kabbalah, and even pre-Islamic Arabia. All these ancient cultures had one thing in common: an archetypal feminine-centered faith.
Organized by guest curator, Kathy Imlay, the exhibition is designed to reflect Field’s aesthetic, as well as her obsessive imagery and practice. Featuring over 60 works of art in 12 mediums, Lori Field: Tiger Tarot aims to take the viewer on a journey of divination...at once humorous, irreverent, poetic, and profound.
Images:
Hanged Woman, 2021. Mixed media collage on paper 10.5 x 7.5 in. Framed 12.5 x 9.5 in. Collection of the artist, LF photograph
The Hierophant, 2021. Mixed media collage on paper 10.25 x 7.75 in. Framed 12.5 x 10 in. Collection of the artist, LF photograph