Tag Archives | Empire of Death

4/3: Dr. Paul Koudounaris Memento Mori Exhibit + Book

Mondsee, Austria remains of local abbot decorated with jewels and placed on church's high altar

Mondsee, Austria remains of local abbot decorated with jewels and placed on church’s high altar

Dr. Paul Koudounaris – Memento Mori
Exhibition and book launch – release

April 3 – 26, 2015

La Luz de Jesus Gallery
4633 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 666-7667
Opening Reception: Friday, April 3rd, 8-11 PM
Also showing – Scott Hove Pussy Jihad

Dr. Paul Koudounaris returns to the gallery at La Luz de Jesus with his latest, and by all accounts greatest, macabre display. The world’s leading photographer of the visual culture of death, his new book Memento Mori represents a kind of magnum opus. Having traveled the world for over a decade documenting the use of human bones in sacred contexts, he has distilled beautifully morbid photos from over 70 countries into a single package, filling the new book with the best-of-the-best, from Indonesian burial caves, to gilded Asian mummies, to jeweled German skeletons, to Bolivian skull festivals. And the finest of these images will be on display as part of a show which will open with a book signing on Friday, April 3. His work in the past has received incredible popular interest, with his previous books, Empire of Death and Heavenly Bodies, both winding up on various top ten lists, and his photos going viral across the internet. Crossing boundaries, his images have appeared in incredibly diverse genres of publications, with write ups around the world in both low brow and high culture magazines. Proving that death can be beautiful, his photos have inspired the work of a wide group of artists, tattoo professionals, and fashionistas–even fashion designer John Galliano has borrowed from Koudounaris’s images for runway designs. The show at La Luz de Jesus is a kind of last go-around, since, after ten years among the dead, Koudounaris has decided that it’s not possible for him to top the material contained in Memento Mori, and has indicated that it will be the end of his work with human remains. The last is usually the best, and this show promises to be a sumptuous visual feast which proves that while death may always be a mystery to the living, it can also be a source of awe and inspiration.

Dr. Paul Koudounaris will be singing copies of Memento Mori at the opening reception and a lecture will follow mid-month (date to be verified).
MEDIA:
for interview opportunities, hi-res images, and a book PDF, contact me!
Oria, Italy, mummified members of a confraternity of death full size

Oria, Italy, mummified members of a confraternity of death full size

Lombok (village), Sulawesi, Indonesia, ancestors bones displayed in a dilapidated coffin at cave entrance

Lombok (village), Sulawesi, Indonesia, ancestors bones displayed in a dilapidated coffin at cave entrance

Lampa, Peru looking down into large ossuary tomb beneath the town's church

Lampa, Peru looking down into large ossuary tomb beneath the town’s church

La Paz, Bolivia, skull wearing sun glassesl at the annual skull festival in the Cemetery General

La Paz, Bolivia, skull wearing sun glassesl at the annual skull festival in the Cemetery General

Kolin, Czech Republic, 18th century charnel house featuring a life sized crucifixion

Kolin, Czech Republic, 18th century charnel house featuring a life sized crucifixion

Hallstatt, Austria, painted skulls in local charnel house, once part of a widespread tradition

Hallstatt, Austria, painted skulls in local charnel house, once part of a widespread tradition

Burgio, Sicily, 19th century remains preserved in a Capuchin monastery

Burgio, Sicily, 19th century remains preserved in a Capuchin monastery

Dr. Paul Koudounaris
Memento Mori
Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: Thames & Hudson; 1 edition (April 14, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0500517789
ISBN-13: 978-0500517789
Product Dimensions: 9 x 1 x 13.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
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