MIDBROW

30 Artists Explore Divination

Nadine Nelson’s installation for Forecast: Reading the Signs — running now in the upper gallery at the Institute Library through March 28 — is a sunny nook in the middle of the art show: two cozy chairs in the window, a snug table filled with intriguing objects, among them a deck of symbols. It’s a moment to relax, but also a portal to a divination technique.

“Adinkra symbols are a visual language developed by the Akan peoples of present-day Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire,” Nelson’s accompanying sign explains. “Traditionally stamped on cloth, carved into architecture, etched into tools, and passed through oral teaching, Adinkra symbols communicate philosophy, ethics, history, and social values without relying on written text. Each symbol holds a proverb or teaching, designed to be read slowly and reflected upon rather than decoded quickly.”

“Adinkra is not decorative shorthand,” the sign continues. “It is a system of meaning that allows complex ideas to be shared across generations, communities, and contexts. As a divination practice, Adinkra invites interpretation through wisdom rather than prediction, offering guidance rooted in relationship, balance, and lived experience.”

Read the rest here. Lys gets a namecheck!