[INTERVIEW] Illustrator reimagines tarot deck with Korean-style twist

Illustrator Kim Soo-jin, who goes by the pseudonym, BANA, has incorporated characters and patterns inspired by Korean folklore, legends and historical records into tarot deck imagery. Courtesy of BANA

By Park Han-sol

For centuries, tarot, a set of cards that are believed to have their origin in Central Europe from the Late Middle Ages, has enchanted curious minds from all walks of life ― whether they are seeking to have their fortune read, trying to reflect on their life decisions or simply looking for a fun party trick for the night.

But another group who has fallen under the spell of these cards is none other than artists. As each of the 78 cards ― like the Fool, the Hanged Man and the Devil ― features an illustration or a pictorial symbol relevant to its meaning, the whole deck then becomes a visual playground for those with a burst of imagination.

Illustrator Kim Soo-jin is no exception.

Illustrator Kim Soo-jin, better known by her alias, BANA / Courtesy of BANA

In her tarot deck reimagined with a Korean-style twist, the skeletal Grim Reaper wielding a scythe on the Death card is replaced by "jeoseung saja," or a messenger from the afterlife, clad in a dark "gat" (wide-brimmed horsehair hat) and "hanbok" (traditional Korean attire).

Taking center stage on the Devil card, a symbol of temptation and lust, is "gumiho," a legendary nine-tailed fox that can shapeshift into a seductress in order to consume men's livers.

And the Moon card recalls the Korean folk tale, "The Sun and the Moon," the origin story of the two celestial entities. In the tale, a young sister and a brother successfully outwit a hungry tiger in disguise and after praying for a rope from the sky as a means of escape, it manifests and they climb onto it to become the moon and the sun, respectively.

"Tarot cards are rife with underlying meanings and symbols that could be expressed in a myriad of ways," Kim, who goes by the pseudonym, BANA, told The Korea Times in a recent interview. "And that opened up the possibility for me to think about how I could add a touch of Koreanness to the pack's design."

The thought first crossed the 40-year-old's mind in 2019, around the time she started incorporating elements inspired by Korean folklore, legends and mythologies into a handful of her small-scale personal illustration projects.

But it was not until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 that the idea turned into something more concrete and substantial.

Korean imagery-inspired tarot card deck designed by BANA / Courtesy of BANA

The inspirations for the characters on each playing card came in many forms ― visits to history museums across the country, folk tales she read to her two children every night and even episodes chronicled in "Joseon Wangjo Sillok," or "The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty," a compilation of detailed national records spanning the entirety of the 1392-1910 kingdom.

It took her nearly a full year to first design a 22-card major arcana set. The other 56 cards are of the minor arcana.

"It was quite a random, intuitive process," the illustrator recalled. "My day began with me taking a look at the whole deck. There would be a card that would suddenly catch my eye because it would remind me of a particular story I had recently come across. And that was when I got to work."

Kim reimagined the Hanged Man, a symbol of sacrifice and a state of suspension, as gifted Joseon-era female painter and poet Heo Nanseolheon (1563-89), whose literary talent went unrecognized in her lifetime in the patriarchal Neo-Confucian society.

The Fool, which represents new beginnings and a leap of faith, reminded her of "sadangpae," a mixed-gender traveling troupe that would go from village to village putting on street musical and acrobatic performances, mask dances and puppet plays.

For the Empress and the Emperor, she explored a way of transcending gender norms by switching their originally assigned numbers ― and thus their meanings. Accordingly, in her deck, the Empress, now signifying leadership and authority, is represented by Queen Seondeok, the first female sovereign of the Silla Kingdom (57 BCE-935 CE), while the Emperor, associated with fertility and nurturing, is portrayed as King Hyojong of Joseon.

Korean imagery-inspired tarot card deck designed by BANA / Courtesy of BANA

Kim's Korean-style major arcana cards became an immediate attention grabber when she launched the project on the local crowdfunding platform Tumblbug in 2021, raising over 64 million won ($47,700) in the span of a month.

"It felt surreal. I was dazed and admittedly, a little frightened, too," she noted.

What surprised her even more was the overwhelming number of backers expressing their hope to see the design of 56 minor arcana cards as well. After much thought, she decided to make their wish come true and returned a year later with the full tarot deck of 78 cards via two more crowdfunding projects that raised 181 million won in total.

And this year, her deck, along with the commentary book translated into English, is ready to meet audiences beyond Korea.

Her Kickstarter campaign ended last month in success after raising more than $65,000.

"I was amazed to find out that there were so many international backers who pledged for the project not just because they thought my designs were aesthetically pleasing, but because they were genuinely interested in and knowledgeable about traditional Korean culture," she said.

Just a year or two ago, when a flood of Chinese online users began laying claims to Korean cultural heritage and subsequently barraged her social media with malicious comments for designing hanbok-clad characters, she recalled that the voices of support for her work came from both within and outside of Korea.

Installation view of the illustrator's solo exhibition held from April 12 to 17 at LeeSoo Gallery in central Seoul / Courtesy of BANA

But this is not the end of Kim's creative journey, of course. Even as she is busying herself with finalizing the preparations to ship her tarot cards globally, the illustrator already has two other projects brewing.

One is a tarot deck for kids centering on Korea's mythical creatures and celebrated fairy tales. Another is an illustrated calendar featuring the country's traditions associated with 24 solar terms, or "jeolgi" ― such as "dongji," the celebration of winter solstice with a bowl of "patjuk" (red bean porridge).

"As an illustrator, I hope to continue creating and celebrating Korean-style stories in my works," she said.