Please come back for the LAUNCH OF OUR NEW WEBSITE end of summer
in cojunction with the opening of the solo exhibition of ICONS IN ASH at the
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF FUNERAL HISTORY in Houston, TX
FAQ
What is ANIMA IN ASH?
ANIMA IN ASH is an art project created by the artist Heide Hatry. ANIMA IN ASH are memorial portraits made using a proprietary technique by means of which the cremated ashes of your pet become a poignant, and enduring portrait. The art-work, IS our beloved pet.
Who is Heide Hatry?
Heide Hatry is a practicing fine artist, represented by Ubu Gallery in New York City. Her work is known for its subtlety and depth and is often described as neo-conceptual, though unlike much art that is so described, it is equally concerned with aesthetic beauty.
Heide Hatry grew up on a pig farm in the south of Germany. She studied art at various German art schools and art history at the University of Heidelberg, and then taught at a private art school for 15 years while simultaneously conducting an international business as an antiquarian bookseller. Since moving to New York in 2003 she has curated numerous exhibitions in the United States, Germany, and Spain and has shown her own work at museums and galleries all over the world. She has edited more than two dozen books and art catalogues, and her own books Skin, Heads and Tales, Not a Rose, and Icons in Ash were published between 2005 and 2017.
How did Heide Hatry come up with the idea of making portraits out of created ashes?
When her father died unexpectedly and under mysterious circumstances more than twenty years ago, she was disconsolate, and she lived with a gnawing grief for many years. In 2008 one of her closest friends chose to end his life. Not only was she shocked and devastated, but she found that the still unresolved feelings of loss in her father's death had resurfaced all the more powerfully. With a sudden inspiration, she determined that she would make a portrait of her friend and father out of cremated ashes. She has described the access of calm and tranquility that she felt upon completing the works and abiding with them in silent communion as life-altering. And she realized that she could offer the same deep solace to others as well. During her lengthy experimentation, she discovered a way of creating an actual relic that inspires the living with a rich sense of presence, continuity, and connection.
What is an ANIMA IN ASH Mosaic Portrait?
Mosaic Portraits are completely hand-made realistic portrait in a black, white, and grey palette, made out of the cremated ashes of your pet. The unique process Hatry has developed involves the individual placement of loose ash particles upon a suface of wax on which they rest gently, until, through several delicate layers of application, a rich and textured likeness is achieved.
What is an ANIMA IN ASH Transfer Portrait?
Ash Transfer Portraits are a more modestly-priced option for a realistic portrait in a black, white, and grey palette, made from the cremated ashes of your pet. Again uniquely developed by the artist, the process makes it possible for a photographic image to be transferred directly onto a pure and slightly irregular surface of cremated ashes.
What is the difference between a Mosaic Portrait and a Ash Transfer Portrait?
Mosaic Portraits are mosaics, meaning that the cremated ash particles are affixed one by one onto a substrate. The choice of different shades of gray creates the diversity of hue that results in a portrait, similar to the way that individual pixels contribute to complex images on a computer. Depending on the size, this technique requires up to 6 weeks.
The process and materials used for making Ash Transfer Portraits are similar, but here a larger number of cremated ash particles are affixed at the same time, and afterwards a photo is transferred onto that surface. Depending on the size this takes up to three weeks.
How much cremated ash do I need for a Memorial Portrait?
The amount of cremated remains needed, depends on the technique and size but only a very small amount of cremated ashes is necessary:
For a Mosaic Portrait of 5 x 7" it's less than 1 ounce of cremated ashes,
for an Ash Transfer Portrait of 5 x 7" we need about 2 ounces.
If you don't have enough ashes or if you are interested in a different format please get in contact with us and we will find a solution.
How many memorial portraits could be made from a pet’scremated ashes?
It depends on how much ash is available (meaning the size of your pet and the size of the portrait you wish to have) but given the modest amount necessary for a portrait, several memorial portraits can be made for family members or friends.
What can I do with the rest of the cremated ashes?
In deciding to commission an ANIMA IN ASH memorial portrait, you don’t lose any options! A quite sufficient quantity would still remain for scattering, preservation in an urn, making jewelry objects or whatever other means you might choose to honor and remember your loved one. We do also offer a framing option that includes a secure compartment for the preservation of the remaining cremated ashes.
Why should I consider an ANIMA IN ASH portrait for my pet?
Everyone who owns a memorial portrait by Heide Hatry has described a profound effect of presence that is “calming,” “soothing,” “consoling” or just “wonderful.” Many, especially when they had been suffering powerful grief, have described it as life-changing, as a way of coming to terms with the fact of death, especially when it came upon them unexpectedly.
Grave-yards and mausoleums stay where they are, while we do not. Especially in a time of global movement, it seems more appropriate to be able to take our beloved with us when we have to move.
Why are ANIMA IN ASH portraits different from all other ways of memorializing our pets?
ANIMA IN ASH portraits look as realistic as a photograph of your pet, even more so, as they have a depth and a texture that photographs cannot achieve, and at the same time, the portrait is your pet. The effect of that reality is truly indescribable, and will always be true. You are seeing your pet in its image, and this knowledge never diminishes, effortlessly enriching your relationship to the image and to memory.
How do I go about commissioning an ANIMA IN ASH memorial portrait?
Please ask your local funeral home, crematory or vetenarian for a mailing kit, or get in touch with us by email (info@animainash.com) or by phone (1 917 932 4999) and we will send you a mailing kit right away. There are also mailing kits available in the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston, as well as at the Merchant's House Museum, and at Ubu Gallery in NYC
How do I know what to do when I have received my mailing kit?
The mailing kit contains very simple, detailed, step-by-step instructions. Nothing else is required but a stamp to send it back to New York. Or ask your local funeral home, crematory or vetenarian to deal with this for you.
How do I know that I will get back the cremated ashes of my pet?
We use the same careful and conscientious system as crematories: the cremated ashes are marked at any given time with a name-tag, from the moment they arrive at our facilities until they are sent back to you. Every precaution has been taken, and every care exerted to insure that no errors are possible.
How much does an ANIMA IN ASH memorial portrait cost?
The price depends on you! We want to make sure that everybody can afford an Anima in Ash memorial portrait, so we decided that you can pay what you can afford and what it is worth toYOU.
Most people pay for an Ash Tranfer Portrais (ATP) of
5 x 7" between $1.000 and $2.000 and for
11 x 14" (about life size) between $2.000 and $3.500
In the price included is a wooden shadow-box, equipped with regular glass or plexi glass. This patent pending technique allows a much faster way to connect the ash particles, and to transfer the likeness of your beloved one onto that surface. The turnaround for this technique doesn't depend on the size and takes up to three weeks from ordering to receiving the portrait.
The ANIMA IN ASH Mosaic Portraits technique is very painstaking: every single particle of the cremated ashes is individually placed on a bed of wax substrate that connects with the ashes. Each portrait consists of thousands of particles, and it takes about six weeks to create a single portrait
Most people pay for a Mosaic Portrais of
5 x 7" between $6.000 and $9.000 and for
11 x 14" (about life size) between $12.000 and $25.000
A high quality deep wooden shadow-box, equipped with museum-quality glass is included in the price.
If you don't have enough ashes or if you are interested in a different format please get in contact with us and we will find a solution.
When and how do I have to pay?
Please ask your local funeral home, crematory, veterinarian, or Ubu Gallery for their preferred payment method. If you order your Memorial Portrait directly from us, please send us a check or get in touch with us. Very soon you will be able to choose and purchase all options directly from our website.
What are the shipping options?
The portrait will be shipped by USPS. Hand-delivery is free in Manhattan; delivery to any other location will be priced individually, and if hand delivery by plane is required, we will charge air fare, cab or rental car costs, hotel fare if necessary, plus $15/hour for the time needed to deliver it, from the point of origin.
The Mosaic Portrait, museum glass and frame are wrapped separately and shipped in a custom made crate, with very simple step-by-step instructions regarding how to put the artwork into the shadowbox without damaging anything, the Ash Transfer Portraits are carefully packed in a box and ready to be hung on the wall.
How do I decide which photograph I should choose for my ANIMA IN ASH memorial portrait?
Please look through the photographs you have of your beloved pet and send your favorite photo to info@animainash.com The photo can be an image at any age in her or his life – that is completely up to you. We have three requests though: the photograph should be in the highest resolution you have, the face should to be fairly prominent, and if possible your pet's mouth should be closed. If you are insecure which photo to choose send us a few and we are happy to discuss which might produce the optimal result. You can also number the photographs in the order of your preference. Heide Hatry is a very experienced portrait artist and can readily assess the perfect image for your chosen size and technique.
How long will a Memorial Portrait last?
Heide Hatry invented the Mosaic Portrait technique in 2008/2009, so it is impossible to say with absolute certainty, but if you imagine a candle that has collected dust when it was burning, those particles never come off, so we assume that the portraits, too, will last forever. Egypt Fayum mummy portraits for example (naturalistic painted portraits on wooden boards, using a wax-based encaustic technique of integrating pigment) have survived 3000 years (you can see them at the Metropolitan Museum of Art), assuming that reasonable care is taken. The technique of the new patent pending Ash Tranfer Portraits was invented in 2018. So we do not know how long they will last, but we have done extended research and are sure that they will last as long as a regular artwork, like an acrylic painting for example, assuming that reasonable care is taken.
How are memorial portraits displayed?
The portraits are presented in deep wooden shadow boxes. They can be hung on a wall like a painting, rest upright on a table, pedestal, or mantle-piece, in a glass display case in a cemetery, or basically whatever method you prefer.
How do I care for my Memorial Portrait? How often should I dust it?
Your memorial portrait is an art work and should be treated like an art work: never hang it in direct sunlight, don’t expose it to moisture, maintain it at normal room temperature, and never remove it from the shadow-box.
It is not terribly fragile or susceptible to damage, but it can collect dust very easily, so it should never be removed from its frame. Naturally, in the event of an accident, it could be restored, though that would involve a lengthy process and additional expense. If the frame should be damaged, please contact us and we will assist you in best protecting and restoring the structure as needed. If you need to transport the Mosaic Portrait, we suggest to always keep it laying face up, or remove it from the frame and transport it in the way you received it.
Where can I see original ANIMA IN ASH Memorial Portraits?
There are a few locations where Anima in Ash memorial portraits are exhibited permanently:
- National Museum of Funeral History in Houston
https://www.nmfh.org/exhibits/permanent-exhibits/the-history-of-cremation
Mon - Fri: 10am - 4pm, Sat: 10am - 5pm, Sunday: 12pm - 5pm (362 days a year) at 415 Barren Springs Drive, Houston, TX 77090. +1 281 876 306.contact@nmfh.org
- The Merchant's House Museum in NYC
Merchantshouse.org
Thu - Mon 12-5pm at 29 E 4th Street, New York, NY 10003. +1 212 777 108.nyc1832@merchantshouse.org
(right now it's only possible to see ICON IN ASH Memorial Portraits from humans at the museum).
- Ubu Gallery in NYC
https://www.ubugallery.com/exhibitions/heide-hatry-icons-in-ash
Mon - Fri 11am - 6pm (please make sure to ask for exact opening hours before your visit) at 416 E 59th Street, New York, NY 10022. +1 212 753 4444.
You can also email us at info@animainash.com for more locations in your neigbourhood or call us at 917-932-4999.
(right now it's only possible to see ICON IN ASH Memorial Portraits from humans at the gallery.
How do I find out which crematory, veterinarian, or animal hospital is offering your portraits?
Please email us at info@animain ash.com or call at 917-932-4999, and we will send you a list of crematory, veterinarian, or animal hospital we are working with in your area, or ask your local funeral home or crematory to get in touch with us.
Does ANIMA IN ASH have any internship or volunteer opportunities?
Please email us at info@animainash.com, mail your request to us at Ubu Gallery, 416 E 59th St, New York, NY 10022 or call at 917-932-4999.
How do I request a media interview?
Please email us at info@animainash.com, mail your request to us at Ubu Gallery, 416 E 59th St, New York, NY 10022 or call at 917-932-4999.
I have a question that is not answered here, what should I do?
Please email us at info@animainash.com, mail your request to us at Ubu Gallery, 416 E 59th St, New York, NY 10022 or call at 917-932-4999.