The Good Hour
2020
Tin Metal, Clock, LED Neon, Paint, Gesso
15" x 11" x 2"
Stamper Collection
The Good Hour takes its name from the final hour of a person’s life. I created this piece as a response to the turbulent times of 2020—the pandemic, racial injustice, the struggles of immigration, the loss of natural resources, and the looming crisis of climate change. The work is also a functioning clock with an LED neon light, a reminder that time is ticking and that the “good hour” draws closer with each passing moment.
At the center, I painted Death, crowned with a skull and cloaked in darkness, her shroud stretching outward to cover everything—even the viewer. Beneath her, on the left, is an African American figure bleeding out, a victim of police brutality. On the right, a mother and child refugee lie lifeless, consumed by Death after enduring inhumane conditions. At the bottom, supine and masked, rests a victim of COVID-19.
Around them, I filled the space with flora and fauna—flowers, a crane with a fish, and even a cat—reminders of life and beauty, but also of their vulnerability. Death’s cloak envelops them too, signaling that nature itself is not exempt from the devastation of climate change and human destruction.