Historically the Major Arcana have had a simple allegorical or esoteric meaning. They were regarded as a repository of all the significant truths of creation. The images in this version of the Arcana are based on aspects of objects, ideas, images and symbols that have appeared in my practice over the years, some of which remain a mystery to me and around which I construct my own readings. The reading of these images shift according to their context, and as is appropriate within the Tarot, they will morph further in the mind of the viewer. They don’t propose any certainty and remain optional in the sense of providing choice to the subject, however illusory that might be. They are largely devised from original photographs and have been shaped to look like a pack of cards. I attribute no specific interpretation to these images. They are enigmatic by their nature they remain open to interpretation.
Conor McFeely is an artist based in Derry. His work has been exhibited widely throughout Ireland and abroad.His work incorporates a range of media: photographs, films, sounds, texts, objects, arranged together in varying and evolving configurations. Interconnected themes explored by pieces such as the Weathermen projects (2012-), The Case of the Midwife Toad (2007), and Inside his Master’s Voice (2010), include historical textures and their residues, epistemological speculation, and the conditions of communication. In Ink Mathematics (2000), McFeely set out to explore an interest in cult literature. More recent projects include the Mariner series (2021-). In 2022 using the working title Electric Citizen as a starting point he developed new work for a residency at Art Arcadia. This originally began as an interest in the song Death of an Electric Citizen by The Edgar Broughton band from 1969; a band with a reputation for being radical hippies and social agitators this work reflects an ongoing interest in histories of dissent.
In 2024 he presented the work Azimuth PointZero at the MAC Belfast as part of The Weight of Light, a collaboration with Pascale Steven.
