Description

Prayers for the Dead by Carlos Quinto Kemm is a richly layered, visionary composition that fuses spiritual symbolism, mythological references, and cosmic allegory into a complex, contemplative tableau. Executed in Kemm’s signature style of painted dimensional collage, the piece evokes the atmosphere of an altar or ritual space—a visual requiem for souls in transition.

At the heart of the composition, a winged, androgynous figure hovers in cruciform, enveloped in celestial blues and purples, simultaneously angelic and divine. Surrounding this central being is a constellation of sacred forms: eyes of divine awareness, ascending souls, and fragmented earthly bodies. These fragments spiral through the chaos of dreamlike terrain—lava flows, oceans, ruins, and vortexes—suggesting cycles of death, purification, and rebirth. Across the canvas, vibrant orange leaves or flames scatter in motion, resembling both autumn’s decay and spiritual release.

Throughout the image, figures appear in supplication, embrace, struggle, or transformation—emphasizing the human yearning for transcendence and the pain of release. The lower register is anchored by a crowned figure holding a trident and adorned with rosary-like beads, flanked by surreal instruments and planetary bodies—merging earthly identity with cosmic destiny. In “Prayers for the Dead,” Kemm presents a metaphysical map: a place where myth, memory, grief, and resurrection coexist. It is both intimate and epic, inviting viewers to reflect not just on loss, but on the sacred process of letting go, praying through mystery, and bearing witness to the journey of the soul beyond the veil.