Ascension/Descent

11 in x 11 in, pen & ink, 2019.

This work is inspired by the uncertainty of the experiences following the departure of one’s soul from the mortal body. This work explores the concept that one’s life on Earth constitutes only one aspect of a larger voyage embarked upon by the immortal soul. In various religions and mythologies, the fate of one’s entry to/placement within the afterlife is determined by an omnipotent deity(s) or consult.

In ancient Egypt, bodies were meticulously prepared and equipped with funeral texts (Book of the Dead), which included charms intended for protection and safe travels as the soul ventured into the afterlife. A soul’s fate and entry into the afterlife depended on the weighing of their heart on golden scales against a feather in the presence of Anubis, Osiris, the scribe of Thoth, Ma’at the Goddess of Harmony and Balance, as well as forty-two judges. A heart burdensome of the iniquities of their mortal life would be consumed by Ammit, or the “devourer of the dead” and the soul would cease to exist. If, however, the heart was lighter than the feather, entry to the afterlife would be granted.

In Dante’s Inferno, it was King Minos or the “Judge of the Damned” who determined which of the Nine Circles of Hell a soul was to spend their eternity in. He did this by wrapping his monstrous tail around his body the number of times that correlated to the designated circle.

In my depiction, the identities of the souls and the omnipotent judge are much more ambiguous. The fate of the faceless souls is determined by a nameless deity, who encapsulates them in floating orbs to carry them to their eternal resting place. Unlike the stories mentioned previously, at this point the souls are uncertain of their fate as they are transported through the afterlife. This motif can be seen in my other works.