THE SOFTENING
Kat Stevens’ artistic practice focuses on death, dying and the taboo surrounding it. She uses her photography to provoke her audience and to provoke thought. Following her series What Remains (2021), exploring the inevitability of death (showcased in MGA’s exhibition Develop in April 2022), Kat wanted to continue exploring these themes in her Honours degree in 2022.
Her exegesis explores the phenomenon of death and the lack of conversation surrounding the topic. The language western culture uses when discussing, explaining and mourning the dead, all contribute to our death-denying society. Kat photographs dead animals in an attempt to introduce the concept of the death taboo, to promote discussion and realisation of its existence. These photographs are paired with redacted newspaper tributes, highlighting the common language we are expected to use when discussing death and how it is used to soften the impact of death.
