« Sic transit gloria mundi », a Latin phrase translating to ‘thus passes the glory of the world’, is a motto of both political and religious significance. Used by the media as political jargon, it has also been uttered during the coronation service of the Roman Catholic Pope. Cantor appropriates the saying as a memento mori, or symbolic reminder of the fragility of life and inevitability of death.

The famous video from which the images come from, portrays a young, elegantly draped woman laying a burning fuse across the outstretched hands of a circle of faceless people. Set apart from the woman by both their clothing and posture, there is an unspoken acceptance among the group, a resignation that their fate lies in the hands of another. On their knees, the assembly appears as if in prayer, perhaps begging for forgiveness or, indeed, their lives. The woman could be the croupier in a game of roulette; each individual, a pawn in a play of chance.
‘Sic transit gloria mundi’, d’apres le diction latin “ainsi passe la gloire du monde”, a été prononcée lors du service du couronnement du pape catholique romain. Sa signification est à la fois religieuse/politique et culturelle. Cantor s’approprie ce dicton comme un memento mori, un rappel symbolique de la fragilité de la vie et de l’inévitabilité de la mort.
Dans cette oeuvre, Cantor redessine Guernica de Picasso en fil de dynamite avant d’y mettre le feu, dévoilant une empreinte en négatif de la forme initiale.