Remnants of Parallel Lives

2022, mixed media, relief and monotype prints, vary in size from 11 x 14 in to 24 x 36 in

Discussing his work, the invisible enemy should not exist, a series of sculptural works reconstructing looted and destroyed relief sculptures from the ancient Assyrian Palace of Nimrud in present day Mosul, Iraq, artist Michael Rakowitz stated: “Lost objects are portals to lost places.” Remnants of Parallel Lives began as an intuitive response to the housing crisis in Seattle. Articles of clothing, shoes, pillows and blankets scattered on sidewalks or in parking lots; sometimes lying on a strip of grass bordering the street. These objects once occupied, once belonging to someone, now isolated and out of place. They hold memories and stories. They are portals to lost places: quiet little reminders sitting on the periphery. The weight they carry.