A R S M O R I E N D I

2015- ongoing When I was 7 years old my father died suddenly of a heart attack. I didn’t realize my need for a ritual around recognizing his birthday or the anniversary of his death until a little later in life, though I had always expressed my grief through writing and art making. The the first thing I had done upon arriving home from the hospital the day he died, was draw a family portrait. My mother explained what some people believed happened when a loved one passed away, but she was honest about not being sure what she believed in.

Ars Moriendi (The Art of Dying), takes its title from the 15th century Christian writings on the proper physical and spiritual ways of preparing for death and burial. This work is about taking the time to acknowledge even the smallest of deaths. My mourning of my father continues to evolve where my relationship with him cannot; the birds are proxies for this mourning, of my father and of others I have lost.