By now, you’ve probably consulted your tarot deck of Filipino celebrities about what 2021 holds for you and your personal life. But what if you’re looking for answers that speak to our current plight as a society?
Enter Manos: Suit of Hands. Designed by visual artist Iya Regalario, this deck is comprised of 14 wooden cards decorated with pyrography and ink illustrations. The deck is part of the artist’s Los Indios Filipinos series, which provides observations on our politics.
Manos: Suit of Hands features cards found in the Rider-Waite deck, but reinterpreted to reflect issues our country is facing today. One example is the Three of Hands, which depicts the scales of justice tipped in favor of the privileged.
Another is the Five of Hands, which depicts uniformed salutes. The Ace of Hands card, meanwhile, shows the hand of a deity holding the spoils of the dead above them.
“In essence, the cards are what I see and leave open for interpretation,” Regalario explained. “Vicious cycles that I feel need to be broken, repeat offenders and oppressors that tend to be forgotten (or celebrated), as well as the deceit that seal the cycles of indifference and ignorance.”
Manos: Suit of Hands was initially launched at the Cartellino website on Dec. 16, 2020. The deck will be available for viewing until Jan. 15, 2021.