1990-1992
12 framed composite gelatin silver prints; 47.25” x 38.5”; #’s 1, 9, and 12 editions of 3; all others editions of 2
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.