A Statement about Passage.
When dementia is involved with the death of a parent, the journey of the sibling is fraught with a myriad of emotions and feelings, mostly negative. The everyday experiences of visits and consultations take on an entire new dimension of frustration and sadness as the mother or father leaves this world mentally before the do so physically. This exhibit describes this journey.
In December of 2012, my mother died of complications from diabetes with some dementia.
In November of 2019, Gregor Southard’s mother die of complications from dementia.
Southard’s poem, Watching Mom Die, is a direct response to the interactions he had with his mother in the months before her death. These memories are sharp and immediate, fresh and clear in his mind at the time of his writing. The poem expresses his emotional agony tied with the love he felt for his mother, even though she really wasn’t there anymore. Southard’s words are about the unthinkable as expressed through narrated events, such as the surreal conversations with her.
The imagery consists of layered prints, drawings and photo transfers that express my memories of my mother. These memories take on a mythical nature as they change and evolve through the years after the passing. The translucency of the layers represents the fogginess of these aging remembrances, shifting and flowing like water.
The passing of a parent (or anyone that is close) is a universal event that defines us as human beings. All deaths are different, and each of us experience them in our unique way. It is something that almost all of us go through, yet is so personal that it can be said it is the loneliest event we face.
Michael Hager and Gregor Southard 2021
Left panel - acetone image transfers and charcoal on handmade Bhutanese paper.
Right panel - woodcut monoprints on acrylic sheets, acetone image transfers, LED light panels.
Both panels measure 25” x 54” x 3 ½” when unfolded and displayed.