In the Cards

Art and the occult have always had a fair amount of overlap, so it was only a matter of time until some clever curator played off their intrinsic alchemy to create a necromantic show.

Last week Stacy Engman, Chief Curator of Contemporary Art at the National Arts Club, opened the doors on her latest show titled Contemporary Magic: A Tarot Deck Art Project and it was equal parts creepy, kitschy, and brilliant. Engman, who whore a Philip Treacy hat that resembled a card trick frozen in time atop her head, spoke to us briefly about where the idea came from: "I think the show deals with archetypes, which are often ignored in modern art," she explained. The roster of artists and fashion designers represented in the show is incredibly impressive, including major hitters like Karl Lagerfeld, Ryan McGinley, and Richard Prince.