Karen’s Last Books (2023)
Naeem Mohaiemen, Karen’s Last Books
(Ibsen to Nguyen), 2023
Karen Wentworth was the third person to sign up to use Maine’s newly passed “Right to Dignified Death.” She outlived her initial diagnosis and for a time, those of us who knew her well, began hoping for an almost mythological second life. The burial space she had chosen had a small stone that gave her life span as 1956-Infinity. In calendar time she departed through euthanasia in January 2023. The two years prior to her departure were full of activity, which included participating in Grace, a documentary by Naeem Mohaiemen about a daily routine punctuated by a medical routine that kept her alive, and a set of protocols that were for the departure, all interspersed with activities for living life to the fullest.
Through the friendship between Karen and Naeem, she eventually curated a room full of works from the Colby Museum collection, which became the key portion of Naeem Mohaiemen’s solo exhibition at Colby.
Karen kept meticulous lists, and one such list was a running tally of ten books she wanted to finish reading before passing away. The list was updated as she finished each book. This project is a visual index of Karen’s List, with drawings of each book cover by Naeem Mohaiemen, paired with an excerpt from each book (within quotation marks) and a few transcribed sentences from interviews with Karen taken by Naeem throughout 2021 and 2022. Sometimes the interview excerpts are related to the book on the left, at other times they are long, graceful tangents.
Karen’s Last Books at the Sharjah Biennial 16, 2024, curated by Natasha Ginwala
