Grief, loss, and mourning are universal experiences and part of the human condition. However, in today’s society, grief is considered a taboo – almost unmentionable – subject. Our ability to express grief and its social acceptance is a leading source of uneasiness, discomfort, and apprehension. Whether for those we loved, a lost way of life, a state of belonging, or our identity, how we grieve and mourn impacts our physical and mental well-being.

Through a variety of media, including photography, painting, video, and installation, the artists in How to Say Goodbye convey their personal experience with grief as they interrogate themes of memory, expression, transition, and endurance.

Featured artists: Peter Bruun, Jordan Douglas, Mariam Ghani, Lydia Kern, John Killacky, and Nirmal Raja.

Programmatic partner: Vermont Association of Psychoanalytic Studies (VAPS)

image: Miriam Ghani, There’s a Hole in the World Where You Used to Be, 2024, Single channel video film still

BCA Fall exhibitions are supported in part by the Maslow Family Foundation. Hospitality sponsor, Lake Champlain Chocolates. Burlington City Arts is supported in part by the Vermont Arts Council & the National Endowment for the Arts.