Anonymisation

A core principle of The Skull Portraits: A Final Gathering is that the identities of the subjects depicted in the skull portraits are not disclosed. Each portrait is titled by an archetype rather than by the subject's name.

The subjects have been selected either for their deep personal significance to the artist or for their resonance within the collective unconscious as iconic figures from history. However, none of the portraits are identified by the subject's name.

Archetype Naming

Each skull portrait is assigned an archetype title — such as The Jester, The Father, The Star, The Trickster, and so on — rather than being identified by the individual's actual name. This practice reflects the Buddhist principle of non-self and questions the traditional role of a portrait to offer insights into a recognisable subject's character.

The usual markers for recognisable identity — such as facial features, gender, age, and the subject's name — are absent and replaced with other identifiers.

Viewer Participation

Viewers may engage in a process of discovery, attempting to identify who is who, or they may simply sit with the mystery. The non-recognisability of the subjects is an intentional artistic choice central to the project's conceptual framework.

Data Protection

No personal data of the individuals depicted is stored, processed, or made available through this platform. The skull x-ray records and radiographic images used in the creation of the portraits were accessed via universities, hospital archives, auction houses, national and private archives, museums, and private collections, and have been transformed into artistic works that do not reveal identifiable personal information.