Q HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE IDEA FOR THE KOREAN ART TAROT?

We, “Osaekbitdam,” are “makers of Korean painting content” working with the motto “encountering Korean paintings in daily life.” All three members of the company majored in Oriental Painting, and we met while working on the reproduction of old paintings using traditional materials and methods. We came to realize that there are many beautiful works of art that are not known to the public and thought it a shame that such lovely works are usually kept in a storage space and then exposed to the public only briefly during temporary exhibitions. We pondered on ways for more people to enjoy old paintings and, thus, fell upon the idea of making the cards.

Q HOW DID YOU COMBINE JOSEON PAINTINGS WITH EXISTING TAROT CARDS?

We used actual Korean paintings for the 22 major tarot cards. Some cards use the original paintings as they are, while some use original paintings with modified colors, and others have only certain elements obtained from different paintings. We composed the 56 minor cards somewhat differently. We designed the four symbols of Swords, Cups, Coins, and Wands found in Western tarot cards by transforming them into objects appearing in Korean paintings.

Q DID YOU EVER USE THE KOREAN ART TAROT TO PREDICT THE OUTCOME OF THE SOUVENIR CATEGORY OF THE 2022 KOREA TOURIST SOUVENIR CONTEST?

Yes. We picked a card every time we had an important event coming up. Before the contest, we picked the “empress” card. She brings rich energy and favorable situations, so our expectations rose secretly. But it is also a card that tells us that one will dry up if one settles with their current abundance. So, we are continuing to work hard.

Q WHAT WERE THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS DURING YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST?

It was during the third screening that we had to make an in-person presentation. Before entering the room to meet the judges, I was waiting, holding the actual tarot cards, and a guide complimented us, saying that the cards are pretty, which instantly boosted our confidence. This helped us smoothly complete the third screening.

Q WHAT WAS A HELPFUL ADVICE FROM THE JUDGES?

Someone advised that it would be good to prepare items using each painting separately. We were confident of the paintings’ quality, but we were not sure if each painting would be competitive. Thanks to this advice, we are now discussing launching items using individual paintings.

Q WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS?

We intend to utilize new paintings so that more people will have access to Korean artworks that are not yet well known. Because we are a company that makes Korean painting content, we plan to expand our business scope as well. We are preparing virtual reality (VR) content so that customers can enjoy traditional Korean paintings through YouTube, Korean painting non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and media artwork.