2011 Memory Remains

2011 Memory Remains

All rights reserved ISBN 978-1-4507-9354-4 George Rivera, Ph.D. Department of Art & Art History University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado Boulder University of Colorado 2011

Death is omnipresent. It is inevitable. It is an unwelcomed guest whenever it arrives. We, in the United States, deny the presence of death. We only think about it when a loved one dies. Then we pause to attend a funeral, grieve, and move on. Sometimes we visit the cemetery to leave flowers and pay our respects. That is the (north) American way. The ARTNAUTS, an art collective, have an opportunity to share our ideas on death through an exhibition entitled "Memory Remains." What is left after someone dies? Memory remains. What are the remains of memory as time passes from the moment of the death of someone we loved until the present that is removed from that original moment through time? The Near-Death literature tells us that we take one thing with us when we die. It reveals that we take "memory" with us. That is why all who have had near-death experiences recount that they recognize (and are recognized by) their loved ones who had passed before them. Memory remains. We bring our exhibition to Mexico, a country that celebrates Days of the Dead as a festival on November 1-2. These pre-Colombian beliefs also influence (north) American visualizations, especially those artists of Mexican heritage living in the United States. This exhibition is an amalgam of viewpoints, but all are views of our society and culture in North America. Thus, "memory" is a silent homage to death. We welcome this opportunity to share our views on "death." Since we now live in a global society, it is important that art is not forgotten in the global exchange. Art allows us to "see" what we have in common as human beings. Death is one of the aspects of the human condition that transcends borders and all other "imagined" differences.