In conversation with Krista Tippett on On Being, Nick Cave said “Loss is our universal state as human beings.” It is through loss that we are connected—and in that connection lies power.

This work explores themes of loss, transformation, and recovery, and the ability of art to connect us through the shared language of grief. It began a decade ago during a period of personal loss, when I realized how isolating grief can be—how rarely we speak of it, and how easy it is to feel alone inside it. A tweet from Sinéad O’Connor about missing her son moved me to revisit the work—her raw expression of grief resonated deeply. We are living in a time marked by visible, yet often unacknowledged, pain. This communal piece seeks to serve as a witness to that sorrow.

Each carved Bingo tile symbolizes a specific kind of loss, ranging from the deeply personal, like the death of a loved one, to the structural, like the loss of healthcare. The work is built in layers—of material, meaning, and mourning. Moths are symbolic across cultures, representing transformation, transition, and the space between worlds, emblems of endings that make way for new beginnings. Ceramics itself is a study in loss and recovery, with its inherent binary properties of fragility and resilience, memory and grace.

This piece calls for participation—for reflective engagement with both personal and collective grief. Viewers are invited to place a moth chip on each square that resonates with their own experience. There is no prize, only the quiet affirmation of shared humanity. My hope is that it offers comfort, contemplation, and communion in a time marked by mourning.