Art Against Mortality

Sometimes art isn’t made to last forever. Sometimes I worry.

We aren’t all printed on heavy weight archival paper, made to last a hundred years. I don’t store myself in a special drawer in the basement. Some of us are breaking down already.

I made this piece on cardboard with sharpies and markers. The black circle is glued on. There’s a drop of my blood in the upper left. I ran over it a few times with my chair. That was my process.

The cardboard is already getting bent, and the glue makes the paper ripple. It’s only a matter of time before it falls apart all together. I know from experience this one won’t last forever.

After that, the sun explodes and consumes the Earth. Then the whole universe falls apart, slowly cooling and slowing down to nothing.

Relax, Samwise. Take a deep breath, it’s only mortality.

There are certain facts of life that we wish weren’t true. Nothing you can do about that. Be happy and enjoy the moment.

Don’t try to carve yourself into a mountain, pretending it’ll make you immortal. Future destruction can’t ruin current beauty. Make your art with the materials you have, let go of the future, and be happy now.

-SCL