Carnival at the End of World Tarot Deck

The Carnival at the End of the World Tarot Deck is a 78-card contemporary tarot deck, augmented by three additional bonus cards, created by the artistic duo Nicholas Kahn and Richard Selesnick. This deck emerged from their extensive multimedia work, particularly their exploration of mythologies related to climate change and environmental devastation, themes previously touched upon in their 2006 Eisbergfreistadt project. The deck is presented as a "loose-leaf Book of Fate" designed for divination in uncertain times, while also serving as a collection of talismanic images for contemplation.

While adhering to Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) nomenclature and numbering for the Major Arcana, and presenting similar pictorial scenes and suits for the Minor Arcana, the deck reinterprets traditional iconography through a lens of contemporary global challenges. The four suits — Earth, Air, Fire, and Water — explicitly show the impact of climate change, depicting scenes of sinking islands, arsenals, blazing forests, and melting icecaps. The accompanying guidebook, "Madame Lulu's Book of Fate," was channeled by collaborator Sarah Falkner to provide specific interpretations for this unique deck.

Beyond its divinatory function, the deck is designed to be a portable trove of inspiring images, inviting users to meditate on the Fool's Journey or simply appreciate the artwork. The Kickstarter campaign successfully funded a more accessible, commercially printed edition of the deck, following an initial limited fine art edition. This broader release makes the artists' distinctive vision available to a wider audience, bridging the gap between fine art and functional divination.

The artwork consists of original paintings created using watercolor and gouache, giving the cards a distinct, hand-rendered quality with visible brushstrokes and nuanced color blending. The style is surreal and slightly unsettling, featuring anthropomorphic figures, bizarre contraptions, and dreamlike landscapes. The color palette is generally muted, with earthy tones, desaturated blues, and occasional pops of richer color, contributing to a melancholic or contemplative mood. Figures often appear costumed or masked, drawing from the artists' Truppe Fledermaus characters, which adds a theatrical and allegorical layer to the RWS archetypes. The overall aesthetic is reminiscent of early 20th-century illustration or folk art, imbued with a contemporary, often dark, thematic undercurrent.

This deck is ideal for experienced tarot readers and collectors who appreciate art-house aesthetics, surrealism, and themes of environmentalism or societal commentary. It appeals to those seeking a deck that offers a fresh, critical perspective on traditional RWS symbolism, particularly readers interested in exploring the impact of climate change and contemporary anxieties through divination. Its unique visual language and narrative depth also make it suitable for artists and those who use tarot for creative inspiration or personal reflection.

Nicholas Kahn and Richard Selesnick have collaborated as Kahn & Selesnick for over 20 years, known for their multimedia projects that often explore elaborate mythologies. Their journey into tarot began with a poker deck in their 2006 Eisbergfreistadt project, which depicted a panoramic narrative of climate change. In 2017, driven by the escalating "Anthropocene" and its associated chaos, they transitioned to creating a tarot deck for divination. Their work frequently features the cast of characters from their Truppe Fledermaus narratives, who are prominently featured as archetypes within this tarot deck.