Loss as Presence: Embracing Impossible Spaces

When someone or something is irrevocably taken from us, the space they once occupied can feel enormous and irretrievable, the sense of loss unbearable. Our heart aches at the loss of a presence, and the resulting grief can feel too much to bear. 

Loss as Presence suggests, however, that what we perceive as emptiness is actually the ineffable weight of their continued presence, since we continue to be imprinted by their existence in our lives. This show challenges the conventional perceptions of loss and invites visitors to embrace this ineffable weight and to see that the feelings which can threaten to overwhelm us are not just sadness but an outpouring of all the emotions we felt for the person or thing that is no longer here. 

Anne Stevenson wrote in her poem “Haunted:”

“It is not when you walk through my sleep 

That I am haunted most.

I am also alive where you were

And my own ghost.”

In moments of grief and reflection, we come face to face with the immense impact that another life has on our own. 

In Loss as Presence, we bring together works from artists who explore the space of grief, measuring the abundance of love, memories, and shared experiences that fill the void. Some works meditate on the collective experience of grief, while others have been made specifically in response to the feeling of loss. They offer a space of solace and contemplation, where visitors can confront and embrace their emotions. By sharing the weight of grief collectively, we hope to ease its burden and foster empathy and understanding among all who experience it.

This is an art show that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit, that acknowledges the depth of loss, while acknowledging another way to consider it. Through our art, we aim to remind viewers that grief is not a solitary experience but an interconnected part of the human experience, a profound testament to the enduring power of love and memory, which bring presence rather than absence.