Mikayla Whitmore
"I don't want flowers when I'm dead," 2019
Archival metallic print
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Raised in Las Vegas, with regular family trips into the arid landscape around the city, Whitmore grew up loving desert-themed souvenirs and neon-laced color fields. The cactus in this small handmade diorama belongs to her mother. It has been displayed in the artist’s childhood home for over 25 years.

After the passing of her Aunt Joyce and some personal health issues, Whitmore and her mother discussed the ways that families can fracture after a loss. They agreed it was more important to talk honestly from day to day than to mourn when the opportunity to communicate was past. “I don’t want flowers when I’m dead,” her mother said, “let me know you love me when I’m here. Don’t plan on showing up to my funeral if we haven’t been communicating leading up to it.”