Organic Tarot: Works by Tya Alisa Anthony
Each of Tya Alisa Anthony’s layered works is a story unto itself, a narrative woven together with history, warmth, and the lives of people long past but still present through memory and image.
Jan. 15 – April 3, 2022
York Street Location
1007 York Street
Denver, CO 80206 Map
Freyer – Newman Center
Enigmatic and gently poignant, Anthony’s artworks draw on the imagery and tradition of tarot—illustrated cards used for divination and fortune telling. Using the storied practice of tarot reading to interpret life’s journeys, Anthony illuminates and reframes the personal stories of Depression-era Black sharecroppers to reimagine them as icons of divine and mystical power.
Combining archival photos with botanical imagery from the artist’s own childhood memories, Organic Tarot explores the often-hidden stories of people of color depicted in historic photographs, images that captured only a fragmented moment of a rich and complex life.
About the Artist
Tya Alisa Anthony is an interdisciplinary artist and curator who explores themes of social justice, human rights and identity. Combining photography, collage and sculpture, Anthony reimagines histories to create autonomous spaces for bodies of color. Anthony received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design and is a Redline Contemporary Art Center Residency Artist alumna. She has exhibited in Baltimore, MD and the Colorado region at venues including Center for Visual Arts and Leon Gallery, and is currently a TANK Studios artist. Based in Colorado, Anthony is the executive director and founder of Mahogany Vu Contemporary Art, a thriving online gallery for BIPOC artists, and serves as a board member for Leon Gallery and Tilt West.