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Written by Nicole Madden Monday, 04 October 2010 14:15

Johalla Projects Gallery hosts a refreshing look at the Tarot Card deck.

I recently inteviewed artist Heather Gabel (read it here) about her upcoming show at Johalla Projects Gallery in Chicago.

Following our conversation, I made arrangements to head up to the show to see the “Wild Card” exhibit for myself.  The opening was Friday, October 1st at Johalla Projects 2nd floor home base on N. Milwaukee, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Once upstairs, it was obvious that Heather was going to be busy for the majority of my time there, so I took the opportunity to scope out the artists’ renditions of the 21 Major Arcana Tarot Cards (in actuality, only 18 were displayed due to outside circumstances).

"The Devil" by Heather Gabel                              "The Fool" by Myles Smutney

I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity of mediums and styles used throughout the room: each piece’s creator has a style that is unique, yet recognizable. I was eventually able to chat with Heather for a few minutes (about nothing in particular but it was nice to put a face to a name I’ve known for so long) and then made one more trip around the room before leaving.

"Death" by Damara Kaminkecki                            "Strength" by Roy Miranda

In some ways, it was like any other exhibit opening - lots of “nice to meet you”s and scrambling to get a close up look at the piece in the corner - but, in the end, it proved itself to be a breath of fresh air: the subject matter was interesting and the people involved were obviously excited about not only their work, but everyone else’s. It’s that kind of support and adoration for fellow artists that makes it worthwhile.

(Please forgive the poor photo quality - I took them on my phone in a room full of people drinking Old Style...)

"The Emperor" by Rachel Peacock                      "The Heirophant" by Rob Doran

"The Lovers" by Alexis Mackenzie                       "The World" by Ryan Duggan