Ellis Nadler’s Cards of Wu
Ellis Nadler’s Cards of Wu are “a satire on the Tarot in a set of 78 woodcuts.”
As much as I adore the Tarot as an artistic representation of universal archetypes, I also adore the whimsical creation of nonsense divination tools.
I have absolutely no idea what these cards symbolize (which is part of the beauty of them).
Still, I almost wish the artist would make up a “meaning” for each card and write a companion book for the deck!
I’m rather enjoying coming to my own creative conclusions though…
See the rest of the deck (which is still a work in progress) here.
Seen on 50 Watts
SheWalksSoftly 
October 2, 2011 at 8:44 pm
manonmona reblogged this on Espacio de MANON.
October 2, 2011 at 10:21 pm
These are utterly barmy! The Golden Nose is hilarious, The Flask is horrible, great stuff! It’s true, you really look for some kind of meaning or significance in it all. At the very least to find out what’s going on in that guy’s mind.
October 3, 2011 at 7:14 pm
I almost wish I could think of something as nonsensical as this to throw people for a loop. I don’t think I even have the imagination!
October 3, 2011 at 2:23 am
The golden nose could be in reference to the 16th century astronomer and alchemist Tycho Brahe, who lost his nose in a sword fight and famously wore obnoxiously fancy prosthetic noses made of gold (and other precious metals, some gem encrusted too).
October 3, 2011 at 7:15 pm
Good point! That could have been the inspiration for this card.
October 5, 2011 at 4:21 am
These card designs are awesome! What a wonderful idea, and it’s executed perfectly with a great sense of humor.
October 5, 2011 at 12:40 pm
I agree, K.O. It’s such a perfect balance of artistry and humor.
March 25, 2018 at 4:33 pm
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Ellis Nadler