Biography
Claire Artemyz uses photography to explore human questionings, fears and strategies developed towards the notions of identity and death.
She chooses close-up views to keep a strong intimacy with her subject.
The skull is one her photographic themes.
Here, in “ Remember you will die”, she makes a mise en scene inspired by the classic vanitas paintings.
The human skull is a recurrent theme in art. One of the specificity of humankind is the consciousness of death and the accomplishment of rituals towards the deceased. Whatever our living conditions might be, life always ends in the same way.
The gold covered skull facing a fading rose tells us about that. It belongs to the « memento mori » series, and is N° XI.
Today’s humans are not only facing inescapable individual death, but also the threat of collective disappearance. This state of facts confers the « Memento mori » a new actuality.
