Artist Statement “Being”
What is it that separates the living from the dead? This question has previously lead me in circles, only to come back to different religions, which in truth were really asking the same question that I was.
In September 2014 I travelled throughout Israel and India in the hopes of better understanding the major religions of the world. After photographing countless holy spaces I realized that we place the highest importance in our lives upon that which we can perceive. Ironically, we have built these physical holy spaces as medians that are meant to connect us to the non-physical world.
In my recent work, figures stand on top of different backdrops inspired by major religions and their holy spaces. Within each religious context our “energy” or “soul” is all that remains unmoved, while the body becomes a simple vessel. In each piece, the figure stands facing its spiritual or non-physical self, with the religion-inspired backdrop superimposed on the figure’s body. As the body and soul face one another they bring one’s attention to the single unifying factor between all people, mortality. This line between life and death is so specific that it becomes universal, as we are stripped of our identity with any physical space, religion or title. In this way, each piece becomes a portrait of body and soul, life and death, one and all.
