Memento Mori ~ CoronaSkull

The one perennial truth – rich or not, successful or not, religious, philosophical, it doesn’t matter – you will die. From the beginning of time to the end, death is the one universal inescapable commonality. Kings or peasants, brilliant or stupid, everyone dies or is dead. Some try not to think about it. But for others, the certainty of death is kept at the forefront of thought. Why? So that they might really live.

“Memento Mori,” or translated in English, “Remember you must die.” The point of this reminder isn’t to be morbid or promote fear, but to inspire, motivate and clarify. The idea has been central to art, philosophy, literature, architecture, and more throughout history. As Socrates says in Plato’s Phaedo, “The one aim of those who practice philosophy in the proper manner is to practice for dying and death.”

(From the Daily Stoic: Ancient wisdom for everyday life. https://dailystoic.com/history-of-memento-mori/)

Social Isolation. Loneliness, Physical Distancing. Masks. Death. Living for the Moment. Reconnecting. Joy. Anxiety. Laugh and Cry. These works are based on my feelings through the ongoing, seemingly forever, COVID19.

My imagery incorporates skulls which represent the passing of something. In some, the skulls are surrounded by bright and beautiful colours. In others they are darker. In many the floral motif grows in and through the skulls. It is the dichotomy of what we experience during COVID19 that actually parallels our everyday being. We live. We die.