XVI - The Tower, from The Botan Tarot

By Addi Miyako McClure | She/Her/Hers

San Jose, CA

The Tower is one of 78 original watercolor illustrations I created from 2017-2020 for my tarot deck, The Botan Tarot. It depicts the guard tower from Topaz, the camp where my grandmother was held. In tarot tradition, The Tower card reflects sudden change and disaster, often accompanied with artwork that reflects a violent upheaval. Despite the quiet nature of the artwork, the history of internment is everything The Tower card represents to me.

Though most tarot enthusiasts recoil at the sight of The Tower card in a reading, it is not necessarily a bad card. It can mean the shattering of previously-held beliefs, or the destruction of structures - physical, mental, or emotional. Knowing that internment is often given only a few lines in textbooks (if any mention at all), I intentionally created this card to ensure that we continue the conversation on this chapter in American history, especially when the history feels more and more relevant. Sure enough, most readers do not immediately understand what the structure in the artwork is and ask for more insight, which I gladly offer, unflinchingly. My version of The Tower is an invitation to reflect on what biases must be undone in order to move forward not just as an individual, but as a community. What structures of privilege are we complacent in? What systems of oppression does our silence uphold?

Flowers slowly take over the guard tower in my painting. In the same way, I reclaim the narrative of internment in my art, and use my work as a vehicle for conversation.

About Addi

Addi Miyako is an illustrator born and raised in San Jose. She explores themes of folklore, story-telling, spirituality, and identity through watercolor and digital art, with a portfolio that ranges from Ghibli-esque animal portraits to a tarot deck influenced by her Japanese heritage.

Website: https://amiyakom.com/

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