Wilson Hand Kidde

"Katrina" 

Wilson Hand Kidde has a very interesting type of art. His sculptures are skulls that are “blinged” out/bejeweled just like the one above. This artist started his series of skulls in remembrance of his many friends that died from AIDS. He also experienced a lot of deaths in his lifetime. The skull above ended the series of skulls. This one was called Katrina, and it was made on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Each of his skulls are jeweled in a different way. From a skull decorated with pearls to a skull decorated with sequin, they are all interesting and oddly glamorous. Which is an interesting way to look at it… Seeing these skulls as a type of glamor, a word that was probably never used to describe something that was associated with death.  Most people are afraid of death. I myself am terrified of the thought. It’s interesting that someone can make a skull look… Beautiful. This is his way of celebrating death and making it look good. I’m not saying I think death is a beautiful thing now. I just saw a different perspective of things associated with death. The artist explores the iconography of death. That is also the objective of the exhibit Morbid Curiosity. Artists tend to find a beauty in death and instead of fearing, they use their art to celebrate it. Wilson Hand Kidde does not only stick to these types of sculptures. He works in a variety of media including painting and photography. I’m sure this artist finds a way to appreciate death because of the skull sculptures.