A candle burning at both ends
Alfredo Jaar, France, 1993
A burning candle is traditionally a symbol of
hope. Here, the symbol has been altered to represent something more
like the phrase 'burning the candle at both ends', a warning
against living life too fast, or using up ones resources too
quickly.
This poster, and others like it, was
commissioned as part of a mass-produced ready-made exhibition,
'Images for the struggle against AIDS', intended for schools,
community centres and other social hubs. The purpose of the posters
was to promote understanding as well as reflection and dialogue, as
the abstract and conceptual nature of this image by Alfredo Jaar
suggests.