Ruin, an artwork by John Sanborn, is part of the deeply evocative The FEAR Quartet, which delves into our ancient and persistent emotional bindings with fear. This piece takes the spectator on a stark journey through our contemporary dread of decay and degradation, raising a mirror to our ceaseless accumulation of wealth and affection. Through this lens, Sanborn posits simplicity not as a failure but as a quiet rebellion against a society imprisoned by the fear of ruin and loss.

Sadly, life has become a race to accumulate as much as we can before we die. We horde money, love, stuff and power – the trappings of adjusted income – markers of a society that fears ruin. Simplicity is not failure, and less is not always less. - John Sanborn