MEMENTO MORI

 There is an amusing irony in ruminating over cryptic emblems created half a millennium ago, only to discover that they warn to spend time wisely because death is imminent. This mortal message in Albert Flamen’s Devises et Emblesmes d'Amour Moralisez (1658) continues to be retold in countless memento mori over the years. Similar to the Dance of Death imagery, the memento mori is a moralising artwork that reminds one of the deceased and the brevity of one’s own life. However, it also offers a wider range of lexiconic signs that facilitate narrative, spiritual and metaphoric interpretations. 

 The large selection of Flamen’s Devises in the exhibition highlights the diversity of symbols used for memento mori. For instance, Flamen’s emblem of the eyeglass potentially inspires decency through the insinuation that nothing is hidden from God’s sight. Depictions of the sun, stars and winged creatures encapsulate ideas about creation, eternity and purity. In contrast, death is affiliated with emblems such as lifeless animals, wilting plants, and weaponry, as well as the urn and bonfire. My contemporary monoprints for doors (2019) belong to this category as well, while also corresponding with other insignia representing impermanence such as a clock or empty mirror.

The large selection of Flamen’s Devises in the exhibition highlights the diversity of symbols used for memento mori. For instance, Flamen’s emblem of the eyeglass potentially inspires decency through the insinuation that nothing is hidden from God’s sight. Depictions of the sun, stars and winged creatures encapsulate ideas about creation, eternity and purity. In contrast, death is affiliated with emblems such as lifeless animals, wilting plants, and weaponry, as well as the urn and bonfire. My contemporary monoprints for doors (2019) belong to this category as well, while also corresponding with other insignia representing impermanence such as a clock or empty mirror.

Together, Flamen’s emblems offer a rich interplay between concepts of materiality, morality and mortality. This thematic triad also underpinned Albrecht Dürer’s earlier woodblock prints from Das Narrenschiff [Ship of Fools] (1494), in which he warned of life choices potentially regrettable at the time of one’s death. For instance, a fool with a set of scales is illustrated placing value on temporal wealth over eternal spirituality.

The blatant perils of war have been another primary focus of memento mori over the centuries. Contemporary prints by eX de Medici insinuate both chemical warfare and military malfeasance through emblems such as gas masks, swastikas, skulls, and toxic clouds. The leafless tree in her two-part print Dawn…..till Dusk (2010–11) bears resemblance to the controversial poplar tree  involved in the 1976 Korean axe murder incident of American soldiers in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. Jacques Callot’s copper engraving The Hanging (1633) also uses a tree to signify the volatile and deadly environment of war. Yet, despite the often-morbid warnings inherent in memento mori, they also contain messages of hope. For example, the emblem of birds reminds the viewer that virtuous souls rise above the madness.

 (Ali Bezer Aug. 2019)