Si ibi essem, hic non essem means loosely translated:
If I should have been there, I would not be here (If I were there, I would not be here). This is my reply to those who advocate and promote the escapism into the spiritual world. In my world-view, we come into this dimension to experience and learn from the experience. Yes, connecting to the spiritual is an experience too. But just as with anything, too much is too much. And this is subjective indeed, but it begins to show in people when a personal threshold is crossed.

What seems to be kindness and love turns out to be virtue signalling and pretending. When I talk to people like these or listen to them speak, I feel as if there is an empty and ill-defined shell instead of a vibrant being. In this drawing, the material remains are just that: remains.

They are out of focus, dried, evaporating even, it seems. The spirit part is too large and feeble. Instead of one soul, there are now two or even three (mandorla). Something is not right.

Another look at this work could be the repression of the material by some strong belief system or conviction. That we not in my mind while I created this, but that theme is certainly of great interest.

This work is part of a triptych: “Cum Per Mysterium Vitae” and “Libido, avaritia et indulgentia“. This series tells the story of finding the balance between the material and the spiritual. The tension between the materials and spiritual experience has kept me occupied for many years, and you can find elements of this in my theories on authenticity. There is a parallel with my First law:

If your secret life, your private life and your public life are One, you are an authentic person