
The West Australian Pulse: Taylor O'Sullivan reflects on the duality of life and death
Taylor O'Sullivan's artwork hanging from the walls of The Art Gallery of Western Australia reminds people of the fragility of life.
The piece, First Dance, encourages art lovers to reflect on the eternal nature of death.
'The meaning behind the artwork is about the duality of both life and death, and that living isn't necessarily the last part of living,' he said.
'So it explores the idea of life after death, and that the way we live right now isn't the final destination.
'Life is a bit fragile it's very, very easy to come and go, as I've had multiple friends pass away, but yeah, life is fragile, and you've got to live it to the extent, and then we'll all be living beyond life together.'
The unique piece was inspired by Mr O'Sullivan's personal experience and religious influences.
Set in the Garden of Eden, First Dance depicts skeletons dancing.
'The skeletons dancing is that kind of duality of not there being in the physical form, but in the secondary form of living, where it all started, but also after,' he said.
The Seton Catholic College graduate used a wood-burning technique to highlight the fragility of life within a space of innocence.
Mr O'Sullivan said the work is up for interpretation, but he hopes it encourages reflection.
'Be grateful for everything you have. Live life to the fullest and enjoy every moment,' he said.
The free exhibition is open from May 3 until August 31 at the Art Gallery of Western Australia.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


West Australian
2 days ago
- West Australian
The West Australian Pulse: Taylor O'Sullivan reflects on the duality of life and death
Taylor O'Sullivan's artwork hanging from the walls of The Art Gallery of Western Australia reminds people of the fragility of life. The piece, First Dance, encourages art lovers to reflect on the eternal nature of death. 'The meaning behind the artwork is about the duality of both life and death, and that living isn't necessarily the last part of living,' he said. 'So it explores the idea of life after death, and that the way we live right now isn't the final destination. 'Life is a bit fragile it's very, very easy to come and go, as I've had multiple friends pass away, but yeah, life is fragile, and you've got to live it to the extent, and then we'll all be living beyond life together.' The unique piece was inspired by Mr O'Sullivan's personal experience and religious influences. Set in the Garden of Eden, First Dance depicts skeletons dancing. 'The skeletons dancing is that kind of duality of not there being in the physical form, but in the secondary form of living, where it all started, but also after,' he said. The Seton Catholic College graduate used a wood-burning technique to highlight the fragility of life within a space of innocence. Mr O'Sullivan said the work is up for interpretation, but he hopes it encourages reflection. 'Be grateful for everything you have. Live life to the fullest and enjoy every moment,' he said. The free exhibition is open from May 3 until August 31 at the Art Gallery of Western Australia.


West Australian
22-05-2025
- West Australian
The West Australian Pulse: Jodie Rankin expresses her journey of anxiety through artwork
Edvard Munch's work has inspired many artists, but it was some words from the master painter that really spoke to Jodie Rankin. The teenager interpreted the revered Munch's quote, 'From my rotting body, flowers shall grow, and I am in them, and that is eternity', through the lens of her anxiety disorder to create her intricately embroidered piece, Eternity, which is on show at The West Australian Pulse exhibit. 'It is my interpretation, not only of Munch's quote, but my portrayal of how my anxiety manifests and feels,' the 18-year-old said. 'In creating the piece, it was very soothing for my anxieties, and the chaoticness of it and all the different aspects of it reflect how anxiety has so many different aspects but there's good and bad parts of it, positives and negatives.' The free West Australian Pulse exhibit is at the Art Gallery of Western Australia.


Perth Now
22-05-2025
- Perth Now
Story behind young Perth artist's powerful piece
Edvard Munch's work has inspired many artists, but it was some words from the master painter that really spoke to Jodie Rankin. The teenager interpreted the revered Munch's quote, 'From my rotting body, flowers shall grow, and I am in them, and that is eternity', through the lens of her anxiety disorder to create her intricately embroidered piece, Eternity, which is on show at The West Australian Pulse exhibit. 'It is my interpretation, not only of Munch's quote, but my portrayal of how my anxiety manifests and feels,' the 18-year-old said. 'In creating the piece, it was very soothing for my anxieties, and the chaoticness of it and all the different aspects of it reflect how anxiety has so many different aspects but there's good and bad parts of it, positives and negatives.' The free West Australian Pulse exhibit is at the Art Gallery of Western Australia. Artist Jodie Rankin's work is featured in the West Australian Pulse Exhibition. Credit: Michael Wilson / The West Australian