The Vanitas photos are inspired by the 1600’s Vanitas paintings. “Memento Mori” – remember that you are going to die. What is egotism and vanity in the light of eternity? Life is a soap bubble that can burst and vanish in an instant. This was the message of the masters of that time. The message was portrayed through a large vocabulary of symbols of human vanity, mortality and folly, life and death.
In modern times where everything must appear perfect on the surface – not least our bodies – it is worth being reminded of the message from the masters of the 1600’s. Remember that you are going to die – so remember to live your imperfect life!
I have added a sprinkle of surrealism and symbolism to the classical Vanitas motifs.
The figures in my pictures are nude. If they were wearing clothes, they would be placed in a specific time-period and in a specific cultural context. The nude body, on the other hand, is universal - transcending time and space. It gives space for the imagination.
