Ignite the Dark 

Jason Limon's 'Ignite the Dark' presents us with a peculiar personification: a skeleton emerging from a matchbox, holding a lit match. The burning match, a symbol of fleeting existence, contrasts starkly with the grinning skull, a memento mori, reminding us of the inevitable end. This juxtaposition echoes across time. We find it in vanitas paintings of the Dutch Golden Age, where skulls and candles spoke of life's transience. Even in ancient Roman art, skeletons appeared in mosaics, urging viewers to 'behold, while you live!' Consider how the image of the skeleton, once a symbol of dread, has evolved. From medieval dances macabre to modern-day celebrations like Día de los Muertos, it has transformed from a harbinger of death into a symbol of remembrance and celebration of life. This matchbox skeleton, then, engages with our collective memory. It evokes deep-seated anxieties about mortality, yet tempers them with a spark of defiance. The image resonates because it taps into our subconscious understanding of life's cyclical nature.