Strength, 2021

For this commission, artist Alexi Marshall reimagines the Major Arcana tarot card Strength from the Rider–Waite deck — traditionally associated with emotional resilience and inner resolve.

At the centre of the composition stands a wolf–woman hybrid, a recurring figure in Marshall’s practice. Part human, part animal, she holds instinct and self-control in delicate balance. The image suggests that strength is not about suppression, but about living with — and learning from — our more primal selves.

A contemporary cityscape unfolds in the background. Parks and buildings gently disrupt the mythic tone of the scene, grounding the archetype in the present and reminding us that these symbolic narratives continue to shape everyday experience.

In risograph printing, each colour is printed as a separate pass through a risograph machine — a stencil-based duplicator that presses organic soy inks into the paper. Risograph inks are naturally vibrant — they are renowned for their vivid colours and evident textures. The inks are transparent so layers build to create more colours. Slight shifts in registration and a soft grain make every impression subtly unique.

Strength is printed on Olin natural white 170gsm, an uncoated, FSC-certified stock whose gentle warmth lets the colours glow. The edition is strictly limited to 100 and will never be reprinted. All prints were produced at the London Centre for Book Arts.