Quasi Lapis (1999-2001)

Variable size prints (gravestone scale), found and altered frames.

Quasi Lapis means “resembling stone” in Latin. In this series of digitally altered photographs I investigate how women are represented in graveyards. While wandering through cemeteries in the US and Europe, I was especially drawn to the frequently isolated graves of unmarried women. My imagination ran like background noise: Who were these women? Who wrote their epitaphs and selected their stones? Who did they love?

When I looked up, the heroic and repetitious gestures of Victorian-era statues caught my attention. These maiden angels originated in 19th century cemeteries designed to resemble parks, a new kind of public space where bereavement was invested in idealized female forms. To my 21st century eyes, these maidens are humorous, maudlin, sometimes sensual, and badly in need of companionship.