"the idea of death, the fear of it, haunts the human animal like nothing else."
-Ernest Becker
Becker's book ‘The Denial of Death’ explores the ways humans grapple with our sense of mortality. He states that most people create an internal story about themselves that binds them to their work, subculture, family, or things that give meaning and value to their lives. A “causa sui project” that lives beyond their time here on earth.
We are however living in a world that is increasingly precarious. Between war, pandemics, and a climate crisis a “time after” hardly feels like a certainty anymore. This uncertainty brings with it a lot of complex feelings—fear, grief, sadness, and relief among others.
All over the world rituals are used to create or add beauty and meaning to times of pain and suffering. Many of these have a rich history and deep meaning to those who practice them, and all of them will one day be practiced for a last time.
currently, I'm working on a series of illustrations that contrast the rich, beautiful visual language of rituals and ceremonies with a desolate world that is or already has passed. A metaphor to explore the grief for our stories.
