Here you can see some of the results of me delving into the subject of visual representations of death, in my master-thesis at the National Academy of the Arts, Oslo (KHiO). I wanted to do something that seemed to be more meaningful, ask some bigger questions in illustration, rather than making yet another thesis about t-shirt-designs, or whatever. I decided not to spend two years on something that felt quite superficial to me, so in the end I chose this, admittedly, way too big topic, of how we visualize death. I knew that the Mexicans are known for their humorous take on this kind of usually depressing or frightening imagery, so I wanted to look into that as well. Comparing the Mexican culture to that of the Norwegians and Western Europeans.

I made two books, one representing the main part of my thesis, and one about my trip to Mexico and the festival Día de los muertos (the Day of the dead). There are many visual essays in these books, because my main take on the subject was to compare imagery and to analyze and categorize. I also made several illustrations inspired by the festive Mexican Death, but using Norwegian symbols, like the traditional matchstick box. I handmade several containers for my books and ephemera. If you are interested in reading my thesis, you can contact me at post (at) thomashansen.no, and I will send you a pdf.

These photos are from my final exhibition presenting my project. It was held at Doga, Oslo. I made four peeping-boxes for the exhibition. They’re cardboard boxes with peeping holes, revealing four installations. I used different effects to make the inside of the box seem larger, like mirrors and lighting. Box 1: Contains the Matchstick Reaper rising from his coffin with sinister illumination. Box 2: A tunnel with a light at the end. Box 3: A real looking skull lighted from the inside and mirrored from every angle. Box 4: A rotating hourglass hovering over a crowd of people.