"Meditating on death is meditating on liberty. (...) There is nothing evil in life for him who rightly comprehends that the privation of life is no evil." — Michel de Montaigne, Essays, I, XX
"In a time when wars make death even more present, what is our relationship with it, both psychologically and geographically? How do we relate to this reality on an individual and collective level? What is our responsibility, and how prepared are we? It is important to address this topic and to entertain new ways of engaging with death. Some cultures celebrate death, while in others it remains a taboo. Generally speaking, throughout history, human beings have sought to delay their approach to the end. But life has a natural limit, and new generations must come. How can we create a dance of coexistence between the living and the dead and their countless beliefs?
It is impossible to approach this topic without speaking of time and breathing. The first thing we do when we are born is inhale, and the last is exhale. This aspect will be explored in this piece, and it will be developed in collaboration with Winga Khan. How can we face and take care of this fundamental aspect of life, its final act, in a way that helps us build a more responsible and advanced society? It is time to cultivate beauty, even in the ritual of death." — Maria Fonseca