Richard Pare (1948)

New York Fortune Teller

2002

31” x 24”

Archival digital inkjet print (Ed. 1/12)

Purchased with funding from the State of New York. Percent for Art Program, 2004.

Do you believe in fortune telling? Here is a photograph of a side of a white doorway. On the left side of the doorway, there is a red line drawing of a left palm inside a square. Below are “LIFE, FATE, MONEY, SPIRIT” written in black font. At the top corner by the ceiling, a light is turned on.

“There is no social group immune from the influence of the fortuneteller.” – The New York Times, 1931

In New York City, even with the skyrocketing rent prices, a psychic or a fortune teller can be found in every neighborhood. Fliers of mystery psychics can be found in every New York subway. Fortune telling clients vary from tourists looking for love to Wall Street brokers looking for advantages. You could say New York’s psychics are a part of the city’s character.

Written and audio by Dasom Sohn