Memento Mori

Memento Mori, co-curated with David Pollack and Dina Brodsky, asked 32 contemporary artists to take up one of art history's oldest themes, the reminder that we all must die. Dutch still-life painters of the Golden Age set skulls on their desks beside glittering treasures, or let a flower or an apple stand in for death: organic things that would not survive in their bountiful state without being painted.

The artists in the show translated the genre into contemporary forms. Among the works were a classically painted skull crowned with cartoon-like illustrations, a burning match rendered in pop-realist colors on marble, and a sculpture in which SpongeBob is bound by, and takes the place of, a Confederate flag. The works hung salon style in tight groupings, many of them crowned by an old tool or a piece of iron hardware, and the title was set in white on a deep red wall.

The exhibition opened on March 18, 2021, with a socially distanced evening reception, masks required, and could also be seen online. At the opening, guests carried lit candles through the gallery and held them up to the paintings.