Tom Rankin
United States, born 1957
Burial, Orange County, NC, 2003
Platinum print, edition of 3
25 x 30 in.
Weatherspoon Art Museum, UNC Greensboro. Gift of Emily Kass and Charles Weintraub, 2014.31
Although the lamb in this image appears sleeping rather than dead, it likewise relates to the concept of the sacrificial lamb, a metaphor derived from Abrahamic religious traditions. Rankin is a North Carolina photographer, filmmaker, and folklorist who owns a 61-acre goat farm in rural Orange County. Upon discovering this dead kid, Rankin dug a hole to bury it while children added the surrounding flowers. Both the burial ritual and its documentation suggest peace and timeless grace.
© Tom Rankin