We live in a death-denying culture. We fear the unknown and what could be more unknown than what exists beyond our living reality? So, we have created mythology around it, fabricated a number of stories to help us cope, but in daily life, we typically ignore it. However, we are living in unique and extraordinary times, and there is a growing need to learn how to come to terms with mortality. “Memento mori memento vivere” is a latin phrase which loosely translates to “remember you must die, so remember to live,” a sentiment which affirms that facing the certainty of death has the perhaps unexpected effect of embracing life.

Artists historically are the cultural disseminators, particularly of difficult to digest ideas, and the subject of death is not new. One simply need to look to the 17th century vanitas paintings, or the Victorian post-mortem photography to find historic examples. While the western philosophy around death has been buried into social obscurity, the prevalence of serious contemporary artwork about death has been expanding. Memento Mori: Memento Vivere is an exhibition on death and photography, and will showcase a collection of image-based works, including historic photographers from the Northlight Gallery’s Solari Collection, as well as contemporary artists, each approaching the theme of death in their own unique way, spanning from literal to symbolic, from deeply personal to abstract cultural interpretations.