DisplayCult exhibits tarot decks in Toronto

Kim Abeles’ activism highlights the importance of distributing free, accurate and essential information to communities underserved by traditional health education. HIV/AIDS Tarot and T.H.E. Health Cards respectively address the pandemics of HIV and chronic poor nutrition through the familiar format of tarot cards. Designed specifically as public initiatives for households in Los Angeles, the two decks of cards distill medical expertise about the prevention of disease and offer holistic practices for mental and physical well-being. Both decks reference the archive in drawing out and mobilizing pertinent facts and knowledge to save lives. In addition, the deck of HIV/AIDS Tarot also served as a component of an archive by the artist titled Collective Diary, where photos, writings, scrapbooks and memorabilia were gathered to commemorate People with AIDS.

Kim Abeles is a Los Angeles-based artist who crosses disciplines and media to explore biography, community, geography and the environment. She has created artwork in conjunction with a unique range of collaborators, including the California Bureau of Automotive Repair, California Science Center, Department of Mental Health, and natural history museums. Abeles’ journals, artists’ books and documents are archived at the Center for Art + Environment, Nevada Museum of Art. Her work is in forty public collections, including Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Berkeley Art Museum, Brooklyn Museum, California African American Museum, and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. She has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, J. Paul Getty Trust Fund, California Community Foundation and Pollock-Krasner Foundation.

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