Press Release
February 4, 2007

The Clothespin Tarot by contemporary New York artist Catya Plate consists of an artist’s book with text and illustrations, a deck of cards and a “clothespin freak” sculpture embedded in a secret compartment of the slipcase. Produced by the artist in a limited edition of 50, this hardcover and cloth-bound artist’s book is decorated with an embroidered appliqué featuring one of her “clothespin freak” designs on the front and the spine of the book as well as on the spine of the card tray.

Since 2003, Plate has been working on the Clothespin Tarot, a series of watercolor and pencil drawings inspired by the 78 cards of the traditional Tarot. In the preface of her book the artist states, “Conventional domestic and low-tech items, clothespins in particular, play a key role in my artwork. Generally clothespins are associated with the woman’s task of doing the laundry and hanging the clothes out to dry. But the clothespins in my projects transcend that original function by relating them to the human body. By allowing them to serve more exotic, whimsical and possibly painful purposes, our contemporary existence is scrutinized; a life, overwhelmed with technology, which has lost its appreciation for the small and unassuming.”

The heroes in this Tarot adventure are the “clothespin freaks”: capricious, ageless, anthropomorphic figures made of clear plastic clothespins, doll’s body parts and sewn pieces. Different in many ways from other Tarot decks, this version stands out especially in that its subversive principal characters rebel against the establishment of the “suits” (swords, wands, pentacles and cups) by replacing them with new suits. These new and improved suits (hatpins, darners, buttons and thimbles) are tools that set themselves apart by their “female touch”. The 56 cards of the Minor Arcana in particular fervently express their female power and fondness for needle work by surrounding themselves with sewing paraphernalia. Playing on the idea of the arcana, Latin for secret, Plate places an actual “clothespin freak” sculpture in a secret compartment of the slipcase. The text accompanying each of the 78 illustrations does not reflect usual Tarot divination terminology; as one would expect from a “clothespin freak”, here the “advice” is unusual and mercurial. The serio-comic commentary which is influenced by an eclectic array of contemporary topics such as culture, science, literature, music, psychology, etc. is amusing and thought-provoking.

According to the artist “there are no specific instructions on how to use the deck other than shuffling it well before picking a card. After selecting a card and turning it over one consults the page in the book corresponding to the card for specific advice, taking into consideration its normal or inverted orientation. Some “clothespin freaks” refer the reader to an additional “clothespin freak”. It is not necessary to have a specific question in mind before picking a card and one may use spreads associated with other decks if preferred.” As Plate says, “the main purpose of the Clothespin Tarot is to enlighten and amuse the reader while emphasizing the importance of one’s imagination in a world where thinking big by looking at the fine details has become a freakish exception.”