Bothered by the past, burdened by the future
Sebastian Gladstone•Jan 04, 2025 — Feb 08, 2025
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Everyone has some idea of how to draw a skeleton—often a simplified, cartoonish figure that lacks anatomical accuracy but captures an essence familiar to all. This almost comical portrayal is a far cry from the complex, interwoven structures that underpin our physical forms. Yet, even a child who has never seen an actual skeleton could sketch something resembling the brittle framework of the human body. Skeletons strip away individuality, leaving behind only the shared architecture of our mortality.
To know one’s skeleton is to acknowledge one’s fragility. It can serve as a stark reminder of the boundary between life and death, whether through a sudden fracture—a sharp, intrusive awareness of our vulnerability—or the morbid imagery of an exposed skull. If one’s skull is visible, it implies a dire state: the owner is either deceased, undergoing a life-threatening procedure like open brain surgery, or gravely injured. In such moments, the skeleton shifts from an abstract concep…
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Bothered by the past, burdened by the future
Sebastian Gladstone•Jan 04, 2025 — Feb 08, 2025
Press Release
Everyone has some idea of how to draw a skeleton—often a simplified, cartoonish figure that lacks anatomical accuracy but captures an essence familiar to all. This almost comical portrayal is a far cry from the complex, interwoven structures that underpin our physical forms. Yet, even a child who has never seen an actual skeleton could sketch something resembling the brittle framework of the human body. Skeletons strip away individuality, leaving behind only the shared architecture of our mortality.
To know one’s skeleton is to acknowledge one’s fragility. It can serve as a stark reminder of the boundary between life and death, whether through a sudden fracture—a sharp, intrusive awareness of our vulnerability—or the morbid imagery of an exposed skull. If one’s skull is visible, it implies a dire state: the owner is either deceased, undergoing a life-threatening procedure like open brain surgery, or gravely injured. In such moments, the skeleton shifts from an abstract concep…
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