Birth of Death Triptych: Three panels, each 65” x 44”; total 65” x 164” · Watercolour and ink on paper mounted to canvas · 2017–2022
This monumental triptych captures the precise instant of death in war: a male figure lies wounded, bleeding from the chest, as his love mourns downward in grief. Death looms over them both, skull inked beside its face—even death wears a mask until the last moment of our lives—with the inscription across the dying man's chest: “Death feeds on love.” A crow and Death's dog wait to strike; the ferry and river of death flow behind, while the damned battle endlessly in the distant background.
The black-and-white side panels frame the scene like sculptures: on the right, offence embodied by a male figure on his toes, axe raised to strike again, weight forward—his choice to fight sealing the fall into dirt. On the left, defence as a female figure on her heels, spear high but gaze distant—holding position yet unable to act. Both armed, yet the outcome remains unchanged; loss echoes in the survivor.
The work asks how death is born—of ego-driven choices, offence, or inevitable defence—and reminds that loss always follows. Having experienced life leaving and returning to loved ones, “this changes everything you see and feel.” Five years in the making, the layers reveal truth beneath the mask—dark, yet carrying the seed of rebirth and eternal optimism.
Inquiries welcome for acquisition, studio view, or related works: blairaiken@raincage.com