The bicultural art project “The Borderlands Tarot/El Tarot de Tierras Fronterizas” will be released on Tuesday, August 20th – Read our interview with the artists behind this exciting project, Enid Baxter Ryce & Luis Cámara!

By: Ernesto Altamirano

The deluxe “The Borderlands Tarot/El Tarot de Tierras Fronterizas” is a fully bilingual tarot deck (in English and Spanish), and it is a beautifully hand-painted evocative exploration of the ecosystem inspired by the border between the U.S. and Mexico, complete with a bilingual guidebook for card readings and housed in a keepsake box.

We are very honored at Latino Edge to share with you our interview with the amazing artists behind this bicultural project: Enid Baxter Ryce & Luis Cámara!

Latino Edge: I wanted to start the interview by asking, how did the idea for the bilingual Borderlands Tarot art project arise?

Enid: This project was initially created for the MexiCali Biennial. While brainstorming what to make for the exhibition, I visited a friend’s bookstore (Downtown Book and Sound in Salinas, CA). She was busy with an event. She invited me to sit and wait for her at a Tarot reader’s table. The reader, whose name was Ricky, kindly offered to give me a reading. I hadn’t been around tarot cards since I was doing readings as a teenager. I had learned to read them as a child. Ricky’s reading reminded me that I love tarot cards, so I decided to create a deck and do readings at the museum exhibition. I am a huge fan of Luis Camara’s films and drawings. In his film, Silencio, Loteria cards are important, so I assumed he loved cartomancy. I asked him to collaborate to create the cards.

I was surprised to find that there are few (or any?) truly bilingual decks with guidebooks.

Latino Edge: What are some of your main artistic influences?

Enid: I love Kim Krans’s work on tarot cards. My favorite illustrators are Chihiro Iwasaki, Javaka Steptoe, and Ezra Zack Keats. I am influenced by ancient mystical and theological texts from across cultures, so I spend a lot of time reading old library books.

Luis: I love the work of the comic book artists Kerascöet, Adrian Tomine, Dan Clowes, Seth, and Charles Burns but when I first started drawing, my main influence were all the Mad Magazine illustrators and the Mexican comic book artist Rius.

Latino Edge: Being a collaborative artistic project, what were some of the key aspects for a successful collaboration?

Enid: The most critical aspects are clear roles, deadlines, and constructive communication. Know your lane, find liberation in the rules, and be positive. Luis and I have worked together for more than 15 years, and our families are close. It helps to have an established rapport and trust.

Luis: I think putting your ego aside is important, and knowing that if one idea is rejected, a better one is right around the corner.

Latino Edge: What are some of the things that fascinate you about tarot?

Enid: For me, the most fascinating thing is the cyclical nature of tarot and its relationship with storytelling. The cards describe the cycles in our lives, big and small.

Luis: I love the way the archetypes are so malleable – the essence remains the same, but the visual representation is very flexible, and each person who uses the cards brings their own meaning.

Latino Edge: Was there a specific tarot card which you enjoyed most working on?

Enid: I loved creating the Ace Cards for each suit, The Moon, The Sun, and the Star. They are all hopeful, happy cards of pure creativity.

Luis: The Devil, the Hanged Man, and Death. I guess that sounds kind of dark.

Latino Edge: What do you hope people will get to experience from The Borderlands Tarot?

Enid: I hope these cards and the guidebook will help people reconnect with their inner worlds – their vision. Through this connection, I hope they find new happiness in their relationships with nature. I hope they will begin to hear the whispers of the world around them, remembering that sense of magic that came so easily in childhood.

Luis: I hope they connect with the images and find meaning in them.

Latino Edge: Would there be anything else you’d like to share with our audience at Latino Edge?

Enid: I know that your audiences are committed to creativity, and I want to thank them (and you!) for taking the risk of being creative – an act that requires courage and vulnerability. You are contributing to the healing of the world.

Read Enid Baxter Ryce’s Bio Here!

Read Luis Cámara’s Bio Here!