Speaking of a Good Death in the Language of Art

Abstract

What is a good death and who deserves the experience? To answer this question, I decided to respond in the language in which I am most fluent. The language of art. The images here are a small portion of a body of work built from more than a decade spent photographing memorials and memorial spaces in an effort to document, interrogate, understand, and celebrate the universe’s second most unifying experience. Death. One hundred percent of all that is born…must die. My body of work focuses on Afro-Diasporic traditions and practices, but the themes illustrated are universal. In this visual conversation, a good death involves simple yet heartfelt experiences such as peace, comfort, space for tradition, celebration, and above all else…dignity.