Nº 10b (Part 1 Kingdom) Book of Miracles
62 x 124” 2023
Tanya Marcuse, began Book of Miracles during the lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic. The project has unfolded against the backdrop of wildfires, extreme temperatures, political and social upheaval, and reflects the increasing strangeness and instability of our world. The project aims to visualize phenomena that defy the laws of nature, using fire, paint, and the staging of fantastical scenes.
Marcuse’s primary reference for the project is the 16th-century Augsburg Wunderzeichenbuch (Signs and Wonders, or the Book of Miracles), an illustrated compendium of biblical, astronomical, and apocalyptic wonders and omens. Photography often walks a thin line between fact and fiction, or dwells in a realm where the two cannot be distinguished; Marcuse's work embraces this ambiguity, and invites viewers into an expanded sense of the possible, the believable, and even the real.
Book of Miracles consists of three parts done at different scales and employing distinct methods:
Part I, Kingdom (62 x 124”), Part I, Kingdom (62 x 124”), consists of large works created on wooden frames using found flora and fauna, enhanced with paint, glitter, and sometimes fire. The artist uses the frame as an amalgam of garden bed, canvas, and diorama, exploring the convergence of ground, sky, and deep sea, as well as the interplay between painting and photography. The elaborate tableaux are photographed from a scaffold in an outdoor studio beneath a vast canopy that acts as an evenly lit lightbox.
Part II, Portent (38 x 30.25”), features photographs of fantastical scenes staged by the artist in nearby swamps, rivers, and orchards. Working without digital special effects in all seasons, weathers, and times of day, Marcuse photographs golden snakes entwined around tree branches, mysterious blue fire and blood-red snow, ice-encased apples, and other ‘marvels’ which testify to the presence of the extraordinary within plain sight.
Part III, Emblem (9 x 7”), is a series of small-scale, jewel-like photographs inspired by alchemical illustrations and the tradition of Emblem books. Each image carries a sense of ritual and memorial, often evoking altar-like arrangements that blend symbolism with a reverence for the natural world. These intimate works fuse elements of the sacred and the enigmatic, inviting the viewer to contemplate transformation and mortality.
Nº 4a (Part 1 Kingdom) Book of Miracles
62 x 124” 2021
Nº 1 Book of Miracles (Part I Kingdom)
62 x 124”
2020
Nº 7, Book of Miracles (Part I Kingdom)
62 x 124”
2021
Nº 3 Book of Miracles (Part I Kingdom)
62 x 124”
2021
Nº 6a (Part 1 Kingdom) Book of Miracles
62 x 124” 2021
Nº 9, Book of Miracles (Part I Kingdom)
62 x 124”
2022
Nº 6598 Book of Miracles (Part II Portent)
38 x 30.25”, 2021
Nº 6802 Book of Miracles (Part II Portent)
38 x 30.25”, 2021
Nº 1000 Book of Miracles (Part II Portent)
30.25 x 38”, 2022
Nº 0335 Book of Miracles (Part II Portent)
38 x 30.25”, 2022
Nº 3145 Book of Miracles (Part II Portent)
30.25 x 38”, 2023
Nº 5930, Book of Miracles (Part II Portent)
30.25 x 38”, 2021
Nº 5751 Book of Miracles (Part II Portent)
9.5 x 7.6”, 2024
Nº0409, Book of Miracles (Part II Portent)
30.25 x 38”, 2022
Nº 3396 Book of Miracles (Part II Portent)
30.25 x 38”, 2023
Nº 5965, Book of Miracles (Part II Portent)
30.25 x 38”, 2021
Nº 0713, Book of Miracles (Part II Portent)
30.25 x 38”, 2022
Nº 3604 Book of Miracles (Part II Portent)
30.25 x 38”, 2022
Nº 0972, Book of Miracles (Part II Portent)
30.25 x 38”, 2022
Nº6392, Book of Miracles (Part II Portent)
30.25 x 38”, 2021
Nº 2327, Book of Miracles (Part II Portent)
30.25 x 38”, 2023
Nº 6076 Book of Miracles (Part II Portent)
30.25 x 38”, 2021
Nº 5857 Book of Miracles (Part II Portent)
38 x 30.25”, 2021
Nº 1777 Book of Miracles (Part II Portent)
38 x 30.25”, 2022
Nº 6531, Book of Miracles (Part II Portent)
30.25 x 38”, 2021
Nº 0509, Book of Miracles (Part III Emblem)
9.5 x 7.6”, 2020
Nº 4337, Book of Miracles (Part III Emblem)
9.5 x 7.6”, 2020
Nº 5166, Book of Miracles (Part III Emblem)
9.5 x 7.6”, 2020
Nº 4378, Book of Miracles (Part III Emblem)
9.5 x 7.6”, 2023
Nº 0633, Book of Miracles (Part III Emblem)
9.5 x 7.6”, 2023
Nº 4061, Book of Miracles (Part III Emblem)
9.5 x 7.6”, 2020
Nº 4075, Book of Miracles (Part III Emblem)
9.5 x 7.6”, 2022
Nº 3811, Book of Miracles (Part III Emblem)
9.5 x 7.6”, 2023
Nº 3936, Book of Miracles (Part III Emblem)
9.5 x 7.6”, 2023
Nº 4405, Book of Miracles (Part III Emblem)
9.5 x 7.6”, 2020
Nº 0685, Book of Miracles (Part III Emblem)
9.5 x 7.6”, 2023
Nº 4562, Book of Miracles (Part III Emblem)
9.5 x 7.6”, 2020
Nº 4226 Book of Miracles (Part III Emblem)
9.5 x 7.6”, 2023
Nº 4035, Book of Miracles (Part III Emblem)
9.5 x 7.6”, 2023
Nº 3936, Book of Miracles (Part III Emblem)
7.6 x 9.5”, 2020
Book of Miracles