Moss Morrell

Artist statement

One of the most defining moments of Moss Morrell¡¯s life was the time he saw a picture of Auschwitz that a teacher took during their vacation. It¡¯s easy to imagine a place where so much pain and suffering happened to be in perpetual darkness, constantly flooded by rain, and where even the grass itself refuses to take root. However, in the pictures, the sky was a vibrant blue, and the foliage throughout the camp was beautiful and wild. Suddenly, the horrors of the place became much more real. Mother Nature does not cater to the joys and pains of humanity, after all.

By using light and other media, Moss created various pieces to capture these contrasting ideas coexisting together. Each piece tells a story on its own about the two opposing ideas that seem to contradict, but at the same time, they work together to form a unity. Harm and help, life and death, isolation and community¡­ The contrast of light and dark in each piece is meant to emphasize the two competing and collaborating aspects of each piece- the chiaroscuro of the world we live in. What a wonderful, terrible world.