Memento mori Painting

As inspiration for this painting, there is a garbage dump located not far from the cemetery in my town in Serbia. The way it is accumulated reminds me of Dutch still lifes, with the fact that my painting consists of motifs recognizable for modern society. There is a custom of visiting the dead in the Serbian cemetery by bringing them food and drinks to the cemetery. On the graves one eats and drinks with the dead. It is even said that the dead eat and drink with the living almost through visitors. This custom has been preserved since the ancient Slavs, but has remained with many people to this day. I painted this painting when all that waste, together with the flower wreaths, ends up in the container. I believe that the painting can represent the memory of death, the transience of life, as well as the transience of the memory of dead people. It can also represent a lack of spirituality today and a return to a primitive way of life.