1990-1992
Our own death is unimaginable; indeed, whenever we make the attempt to imagine it, we perceive that we really survive as spectators. – Sigmund Freud
The most prominent feature of the Dispossession series is that the face – which is actually alive – appears flat, pallid and expressionless, while the skull above it – which is actually inanimate – seems three-dimensional, dynamic, and expressive. In addition to this reversal, while the skull image is different at the top of each composite work, the face (mine) at the bottom always remains the same: it serves as a kind of visual irritant – a repeated presence that never changes and never goes away. Both of these characteristics suggest that the series is not really about death, but, rather, the attempt to imagine it.
Dispossession Series
12 framed composite silver gelatin prints measuring 47.25” x 38.5”; #’s 1, 9, and 12 are editions of 3; all others are editions of 2