‘Death is Beautiful’ - A Personal Photo Series

Mar 24, 2022 10:00AM ● By Anand Subramanian

We don't comprehend death since few of us have died and come back to life, so we regard it as something to be afraid of, something to be unhappy about, with many grieving so deeply that they fall into a profound depression as they lament the loss of a loved one. However, both life and death occur at all times. If you breathe more attentively, you will see that there is life with every inhale and death with every exhale.

Figure 1 - The End and The Beginning. Source - Photographed by Anand Subramanian

Death, whether in physical or mental form, has always been a part of our existence. Every second of our lives, we encounter death, whether it be the loss of our aspirations, relationships, or the passing of time. In terms of physical forms, the dead remains of birds, insects, dogs, and humans are just dirt being returned to the soil. It is not a dramatic event; rather, it is a natural process. You must return and recycle what you have taken. You may place great importance on your birth, existence, and death, but to Mother Earth, it is all simply recycling. It yanks you out and then draws you back in. You may make incorrect assumptions about yourself, but you must return what you have acquired.

Figure 2 - Entering the Land of Death. Source - Photographed by Anand Subramanian.

I just lost my grandmother before creating this series. A life that existed in this world was abruptly taken away and sent to another domain that we mortals do not have access to. This series was inspired by hope, a stupid but deep hope that death is lovely. There must be many poems and journals out there on the beauty of death and the experiences humans have, but I wanted a visual representation of the realm where my loved ones were sent, where my family will be carried, and finally where I will be transported. Mythology is full of colorful allusions to death, so I took it upon myself as an artist to develop my visual references to the multispectral world.

Read another article about coping with the loss of a loved one:

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Figure 3 - Losing the Loved Once. Source - Photographed by Anand Subramanian

I realized while working on this series that without a lifespan, nothing would develop. If you had endless life, you may just obtain eternal delay of all things - what's good, what's awful, and what's ugly. But how would you have any experiences if you didn't have any of those? All the good you do or feel is done to you will return to you again and again, and so would everything awful. The problem with life is that none of us will make it out alive. The problem is that most of us never get around to living. In every death, the greatest gift is awareness. With each person I lost, I gained a better understanding of what life was all about. Every death taught me to be more present. It demonstrated to me how few things matter in the end. What a difference they make. These images are a picture of the multidimensional paradise in which we believe our loved ones are now residing.

Figure 4 - Peace in paradise. Source - Photographed by Anand Subramanian

Anand Subramanian is a freelance photographer and content writer based out of Tamil Nadu, India. Having a background in Engineering always made him curious about life on the other side of the spectrum. He leapt forward towards the Photography life and never looked back. Specializing in Documentary and Portrait photography gave him an up-close and personal view into the complexities of human beings and those experiences helped him branch out from visual to words. Today he is mentoring passionate photographers and writing about the different dimensions of the art world.