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Artist Channels Spirits of Dead Musical Icons in 'Eternal Rest' Exhibit

By Mathew Katz | October 26, 2012 1:26pm

CHELSEA — Rock 'n' roll will never die.

That's the message from Spanish artist Paco Cao, who hopes to commune with the spirits of dead musical icons through Tarot cards depicting Kurt Cobain, Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse and Michael Jackson.

On Oct. 30 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Cao will "channel the spirit" of each fortune seeker's celeb of choice to help predict the their future, as part of an exhibition at the (Art)Amalgamated Gallery at 317 10th Ave.

Cao purports to allow people to "contact the spirit of your music idols, know your future, and enlighten their path to eternal rest."

The interactive show, called "Eternal Rest," runs until Nov. 10 and features 40 digitally illustrated Tarot cards fusing European paintings and frescoes from the Renaissance era through the 1800s with modern-day musical icons. One card shows Kurt Cobain as a friar, while another depicts Michael Jackson as Jan van Eyck's "Man in a Red Turban" painting. Winehouse is shown as a woman holding a lamb, while Whitney Houston wears an elaborate medieval dress.

"We have devoted our activities to four departed musical legends: Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston, and Kurt Cobain," Cao wrote on the project's website.

"Through our specialized methods, we have developed the optimum channel to keep in contact with them beyond their musical legacies."

The cards will also go on display in the MART collection in Rovereto, Italy, where they will hang alongside several of the original paintings inspiring Cao's work.

The predictions are a two-way street, according to the project's website, which claims that each fortune told will help the spirit of some of the world's favorite musicians achieve lasting peace.

"By invoking their spirits through card reading sessions, you gain insight into your own future," the site says.

"By touching the edge between life and death, your interaction and energy will be projected back to them, guiding their paths to eternal rest."