Macon Reed

Artist Statement

Hello Death, Where Have You Been All My Life?, is an installation that harnesses the social function of ritual space to reflect, process grief, heal, and envision alternative futures. The vibrantly colored chapel-like space revolves around a monumental, central altarpiece covered in imagined ritual objects. These objects were created in direct response to my interviews with workers in the field of death and dying, including death doulas, chaplains, funeral parlor directors, and grave diggers. While many rituals may function in a prescribed order, Hello Death, Where Have You Been All My Life? implores viewers to choose their own path, move in the pace and order they decide, and reflect on the potential of ritual and craft to heal.

Hello Death, Where Have You Been All My Life?, was supported by the Center for Craft’s Craft Research Fund Artist Fellowship. Each year this substantial mid-career grant is awarded to two artists to support research projects that advance, expand, and support the creation of new research and knowledge through craft practice.

Artist Bio

Macon Reed is an artist working in sculpture, installation, video, painting, and social practice. Their work has shown at venues such as the National Art School (Sydney), San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design, Transmediale Vorspiel (Berlin), La Patinoire Royale (Brussels), the University of New South Wales Gallery (Sydney), Columbia University, Brown University, Royal Academy of Arts Schools (London), Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, and Museum of Art and Design NYC. They received First Prize at the 2023 Louisiana Contemporary exhibition at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art.

Reed completed their MFA at University of Illinois at Chicago (2013) and BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University (2007). They studied Physical Theater at Dah International Theatre School (Belgrade), Radio Documentary at Salt Institute for Documentary Studies (Maine), and Socially-Engaged Arts at The Kitchen (NYC). They attended residencies and fellowship programs at Royal Academy of Arts (London), Eyebeam Center for Art+Technology, Amherst College, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture.