Melodie Zad, The Death of Marat, 2011. 3:00

Eponymous painting by Jacques Louis David adds a layer of sociopolitical connotations to this video. Zad, maintaining some visual linkages to the painting, such as the dark background and the bright figure, refers to the death of humanity in a passive society.  The character’s identity and facial features are obscured. In doing so, while the figure is passive, inactive –  just like the society to which it belongs – paradoxically it also suggests a breathing character behind a smooth mask. Could this be a sign of temporary hibernation?