Memento Mori III
Opening Reception: Halloween Tuesday, October 31, 4 - 6 PM
Exhibition Dates: October 31 - November 9, 2023

Created in conjunction with ASU’s online Death and Photography class, "Memento Mori III" is a biennial group exhibition featuring artwork on the theme of mortality. We live in a death-denying culture, but 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" is a Latin phrase which translates to “remember you must die", and has served historically as a sentiment which affirms that facing the certainty of death has the perhaps unexpected effect of embracing life. 

This exhibition will showcase photo-based works from contemporary artists, each approaching the theme of death in their own unique way, spanning from literal to metaphorical, from deeply personal to abstract cultural interpretations. 

Cost: FREE
Gallery Hours: Monday - Friday, 9 AM - 5 PM
Located at: Harry Wood Gallery, ASU Art Building, 900 S Forest Mall Tempe Arizona 85281
See more at: https://asuevents.asu.edu/event/memento-mori-iii?eventDate=2023-10-31

Memento Mori: Exhibition on Photography and Death
Opening Reception: Third Friday, September 20, 6 - 9 PM
Exhibition Dates: September 19 - 29, 2019

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, times are changing, and there is a growing need to come to terms with our own mortality.

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 will showcase a collection of works from contemporary artists, each approaching the theme of death and photography in their own unique way, spanning from literal to symbolic, from deeply personal to abstract cultural interpretations.

Gallery Hours: Thursday - Saturday, 12 - 5 PM
For more information visit: https://asuevents.asu.edu/content/memento-mori