Public Art on Campus - Prince Varughese Thomas
ART ON CAMPUS
This photo is from a series called Ancestors, which is part of a larger body of work called The Space Between Grief and Mourning. The series was created in response to the death of Thomas’ father in 2014. Thomas was the primary care-giver for both his parents for over 10 years and was deeply affected by his father’s passing. During his period of grieving, he pored through dozens of family archives that included multiple generations of family photographs from India. He reproduced these photos, and with digital manipulation, added layers of symbolism to express grief and loss on a personal as well as more communal level. The moon, frequently used to connote death, is a recurring element in the series. The bare cypress tree symbolizes mourning and longevity, and the boat, a means of transport. In India, the crow is considered a link between the dead and the living in that the deceased are thought to be able to see through the eyes of the birds.