Starts as an Urn, Ends as a Body

ceramic, specialty paper, 5 x 5.5 x 5", 2025

A box made to reflect the ephemeral nature of memory, and the bodily physicality of longing reflected in the fleshy paper window and the innards of the box--it is alive with me. The images on the exterior are directly drawn from sights on the drive between Damascus and Aleppo in Syria following my first visit to my ancestral homeland since I have even had memories. In the quiet farmlands and ruins there is a serenity and a sense of loss, made bittersweet by my eyes' excitement to be finally home.