Death

This piece has to do with what I consider to be the most interesting, thought-provoking desire/aversion that all people seem to share: death. It is the term we give to the end of life, but we really know almost nothing about it. I consider its mysterious nature intruiging as the society we live in thrives off of people's draw towards it. Stories of murder and violence fill the media we expose ourselves to on a daily basis. We watch movies that constantly push the edge of gore further and further forward. On the other hand, however, it can be taboo in other circumstances. When dealing with someone whose relative recently died (note: "passed away" is the more socially apt expression). It is a sensitive subject for them during those times, but otherwise it is scandalous, exciting, and action-packed.

This duality is what I'm really interested in and part of what I wanted to bring together in this piece. The sharp jaws in the top-left corner and the blood spatter in the background deal with the gore and physical pain associated with death. The other objects and writing touch on the nostalgic, sentimental aspects of death and loss. The camera, for starters, represents the archive of images that are brought up when remembering someone's life. The other objects each have very strong personal meanings for me. My brother, Mario, died in a car accident about nine months ago and each of the lines of text and objects relate to his memory and mourning him. The like "I'll see you in another life, (brother)" was a line from the show Lost that he used to quote often. This line is actually written in his handwriting. The other line, "If you're going through hell, keep going," is from my other brother, Joey, while dealing with mourning Mario. The dried rose is from Mario's wake and I have kept it since that day.