Panel from beneath feet of a cartonnage, with scorpions on soles, Egyptian (late 3rd century BCE–1st century CE), cartonnage, paint, 10 1/2 x 8 11/16 in (Metropolitan Museum of Art, via Wikimedia Commons)
Scorpio (October 24–November 22)
The key to understanding what’s in store for you this month is the limited edition Barbara Kruger MetroCard. Like the city before the transit pass-holder, November is redolent with festivities, celebrations, opportunities, and pleasures that are all within Scorpio’s reach. However, with a little rebranding and wardrobe revamping, you won’t even have to reach — all the fun will come in search of you. Consider adopting Kruger’s red-white-black color scheme.
Sagittarius (November 23–December 21)
What’s really keeping you here, Sagittarius? You need to hit the road, clock some miles, and find yourself. Along the way, you may find some new friends and some memorable art, especially if you let the international biennial circuit dictate your travels. This month, for instance, there’s Performa 17 in New York, Prospect.4 in New Orleans, and the eighth Turku Biennial. The discovery resides as much in the -ennials themselves as it is in how you travel between New York, Louisiana, and southwestern Finland.
Capricorn (December 22–January 20)
Every so often horoscope writers have to take on particularly parental tones, and this is one of those moments. Capricorn, it’s time you got your own studio — or, if you already have your own space, consider upgrading. You’re poised to make great strides professionally this month, but that can only happen if you give yourself space to grow. (Just, you know, try to also be mindful of your role as an early gentrifier.)
Aquarius (January 21–February 19)
Do you remember the Musée Girodet, the museum in France whose storage vault flooded in spring 2016? What do you think they did after the floodwaters receded? Don’t Google that, Aquarius — it’s a rhetorical question. You, too, are in a situation where you can either cut your losses and move on, or stay and face a long, arduous restoration and renewal process. There is no right choice.
Pisces (February 20–March 20)
The performance art stunts of Abraham Poincheval have grown steadily more absurd over the years — from spending a week on a tiny platform perched above a city, to living inside a bear, to living inside a hollowed-out boulder — yet in each instance there’s something profoundly solitary about the action, which must be quite meditative. You need to set aside some alone time this month, Pisces, so you can really get into your own head and figure some things out. No need to entomb yourself in an airtight cell, though — just set yourself a healthy digital diet.
Aries (March 21–April 20)
You really have the best friends, Aries. We realize that you often seem to recognize this fact, maybe you even say it to yourself under your breath in moments of genuine gratitude for a good deed one has done for you, but these are highly subjective and biased assessments. We, however, are blessed with sufficient astrological wisdom to authoritatively confirm that yes, indeed, your friends are the best. But this month, make sure you treat them as well as they treat you. Otherwise one of them might do something shitty like steal your work and try to flip it at auction. Friendship is a two-way street.
Taurus (April 21–May 21)
We submit, for your consideration, the parable of the “Domestikator.” Atelier Van Lieshout’s inhabitable, monumental, anthropomorphic sculpture in the shape of two figures engaged in doggie-style monkey business was rather impulsively rejected by the director of the Louvre, and shortly thereafter taken in by the Centre Pompidou. This month, Taurus, you will have to make some very difficult decisions, so be sure to keep your cool and stay on your toes — or on your hands and knees, whatever the situation calls for.
Gemini (May 22–June 21)
You know what music industry trend the art world really needs to adopt, Gemini? (Aside from a humane attitude toward royalties, that is.) Supergroups. Sure, there are a few examples, sort of, like the Guerrilla Girls, GCC, and General Idea. But we’re talking about the potential magic of three or more art stars banding together to make the most irrepressibly powerful (or, at least, Instagram-friendly) art of their time. Wouldn’t that be amazing? Well, it just so happens that your star chart for November favors team-building and collaboration; you know what to do.
Cancer (June 22–July 22)
People seem really resistant to the rise of virtual reality art, but it’s here, it’s powerful, and it’s only going to become more prevalent. Some artists will put it to grotesque or gauche uses, while others will explore the technology’s capacity to conjure alternate worlds, but then isn’t that the way with every new technology that comes along? This month, Cancer, you’ll need to be really mindful about discerning virtual threats from real ones. And don’t worry, most of the problems you encounter will be illusions.
Leo (July 23–August 22)
Judy Chicago’s “Dinner Party” is so iconic, and yet the extent of its elaborateness also foregrounds the complexity of its making; that is, there are so many components and materials and ideas at play, it’s almost impossible to look at it and not think about the incredible amount of work, collaboration, and strategizing that went into its making. That is precisely the subject of the Brooklyn Museum’s new behind-the-scenes exhibition, and you would do well to go check it out, Leo. You, too, will need to strategize very diligently if you’re going to evade and expose your enemies this month.
Virgo (August 23–September 23)
Running a mid-size gallery must be so emotionally draining. You nurture young artists, commit time, energy, and resources to them, give them some exposure and momentum, and then they go and betray you by joining a mega-gallery. November is going to be full of romantic betrayals and new commitments for you, Virgo — the only unknown is who you’ll be in this analogy: the flighty, emerging artist; the dejected mid-size gallerist; or the blue-chip, mega-dealer sugar daddy?
Libra (September 24–October 23)
Remember Michael Mandiberg, the artist who printed and bound all of Wikipedia? How do you think he decided when to stop? Since Wikipedia is constantly being edited and updated, he could conceivably have continued printing new editions and appendices of Wikipedia until he died, but then it would have been virtually impossible to focus on any other projects. You will face a similar conundrum this month, Libra, when a fantastic opportunity falls right in your lap, but, in order to take it, you will need to put an end to the project that’s preoccupied you of late.
