THE GRIEF GALLERY
Exhibition: Proof of Life
What do we leave behind?
Bodies and belongings
Memories and mementos
Evidence of who we were
PROOF OF LIFE was the name of a pop-up exhibition in Clerkenwell, London in October 2015 that explored the themes of love and loss, grief and memory through the work of London artists and designers. It was the memorial I actually wanted to give my mother.
– Grief Curator Charlene C Lam
EXHIBITION VIEW
Featured Work
The mini plinths displayed carefully chosen belongings that had become both artifacts and keys to unlocking stories. Visitors could ask questions about the objects and serendipitously, often provide insight into or share their own associations with the objects on display.
PHIL DAVISON
Cross-Stitch Skull
Trained as a couture pattern-cutter, Phil Davison comes by his fascination with skulls honestly, having worked in a mortuary in his youth. Each artwork can take over 7 months and tens of thousands of hand stitches to complete. He’s the founder of Urban Cross Stitch and author of Twisted Stitches: 30 Corrupt Cross Stitch and Embroidery Designs.
EMILY JO GIBBS
Embroidered Portrait
Emily Jo Gibbs is a British Artist who over the last two decades has established an international reputation for her exquisite textile-based work. Examples of her work are in several museum collections including the V&A, London and The Museum of Fine Art, Houston.
Visitor Contributions
CURATOR’S NOTE
About the Exhibition
The Proof of Life exhibition was the starting point for this online Grief Gallery and ongoing grief-related exhibitions and installations. I’m so grateful for the people who helped make it happen and the visitors who responded so warmly.
Here was the introductory text to the exhibition, including an explanation of the name:
In the beginning, everyone wants proof of death.
How did she die? When did he die?
How could this happen?
Is she really gone?
There are forms to fill out
Paperwork to complete
Obituaries to write
Questions to attempt to answer
Later, sometimes much later
After the forms have been filed
The piles of paper have diminished
Our focus turns to proof of life
We remember not how the person died
But how they lived
Not the beginning and end dates of a life
But the dash between
This is where we celebrate PROOF OF LIFE
…
What do we leave behind?
Bodies and belongings
Memories and mementos
Evidence of who we were
– Charlene Lam, curator. London, 2015
ABOUT
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EXHIBITIONS
Latest Exhibition: Red Ribbon Dance, Lunar New Year
Previous Exhibitions:
Curating Grief Pop-Up, London Design Festival 2022
She Was Asian American, NYCxDESIGN
The Grief Gallery in Toronto, Jan 2022
The Grief Gallery at NYCxDESIGN, Nov 11-18
The Grief Gallery, London Design Festival 2021
EVENTS
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