An exhibition that reminds us that we are all going to die. Oh, yes, that sounds like a lot of fun.

Or does it? I guess you could say that Dearly Departed: death in life, now on at the State Library of Queensland, is cathartic in the Ancient Greek tragedy sense.

As a death denier, though, all I want to do is make jokes about the subject. I start quoting Monty Python – remember their Grim Reaper – and Woody Allen, who had rather a lot to say about death, such as: “I am not afraid of death. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”

So, I entered the exhibition space gingerly. It is dark and curtained and seems like a funeral parlour, but once inside I find it surprisingly entertaining. Comforting even. Because most of the folks featured are dead and I’m not! Although one of the main themes of the exhibition is “We’re All In This Together”. Thanks a lot.

As the didactic panel on entry reads: “Death is an ever-present in our lives. Public discussion of our mortality – around pandemics, epidemics, public health crises, and capital punishment – reveals much about our understanding of and reckoning with death and dying in Queensland. ‘We’re all in this together’ … became the catch-cry of 2020 when COVID restrictions began to control our everyday life. In the name of the greater good, personal freedoms were curtailed, with news of rising death rates emerging around the world.

“In the 1960s, Dr Elisabeth Kübler-Ross opened a door in the hope of a world more accepting of death and grief. In some aspects of society, discussions around death in our lives has re-emerged. Choice may increasingly play a part in future conversations around death. Legislative change such the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2021 (Qld) introduced on 1 January 2023, provides a different set of choices that previous generations did not have.”

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That sets you up for a fun time. Not.

But I did overcome my initial reluctance and got swept up in the whole thing, which ranges across some fascinating subjects including spiritualism.

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Sherlock Holmes’ creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is probably the best-known literary figure to believe in talking to the dead and there is a bit of fascinating material included about his visit to Brisbane in the early 20th century. He gave a talk on spiritualism here and while the Spiritualist Church might not be as popular as it once was it still has, according to this exhibition, 8879 adherents. Who knew?

There are lots of videos in this exhibition as well as artworks and documentation from various sources, but often from SLQ’s collections.

Through historical records, contemporary stories and immersive artistic experiences, the exhibition explores Queensland’s religious and spiritual diversity, funerary traditions, palliative care and capital punishment from the mid-1800s to today. It reveals the deeply personal impacts of collective events such as pandemics, epidemics, wars and tragedies.

The traditions and practices of Queensland’s culturally diverse communities are explored, offering insights into how communities around the world honour and mourn their loved ones, shaping vastly different understandings of life’s last chapter.

As a memory institution and one of the state’s leading cultural organisations, State Library draws on its immense collections of objects and stories to examine the social, cultural, spiritual and historical forces that have shaped Queensland’s experiences of death and dying through Dearly Departed: death in life.

SLQ does these social history exhibitions well. This one is carefully crafted and turns what could be a depressing subject into a fascinating one. There are many highlights. For example, I loved seeing a cast of Henry Lawson’s hand. Creepy? Maybe just a bit.

There is a section on bereavement that talks about losing pets. That will tug at your heart strings.

That made me think of a hilarious scene from Curb Your Enthusiasm. In this episode Larry David meets up with his friend comedian Richard Lewis whose parakeet has just died. He is in mourning and angry with Larry who sent him a sympathy card which pointed out …  “The good news is that I’m still alive.”

I carried that thought with me as I wandered through this exhibition.

I found it sad and moving to read the eulogy The Go-Betweens’ co-founder Grant McLennan’s sister Sally had written for his funeral. The much-loved musician and songwriter died way too young at the age of 48 in 2006.

In fact, there is a section about those taken too soon and a video talking to Terri Irwin whose husband, Crocodile Hunter, Steve was also snatched from us cruelly when he was just forty-four.

But back to the whole spiritualism thing for a moment. I loved the story about Queensland’s first band master, Professor Andrew Seal, who communicated a piece of music to his daughter Pauline from beyond the grave during a seance in 1911. The score has been brought to life by a Queensland jazz musician. Spooky stuff.

There is art by Danie Mellor, Megan Cope and a wonderful 1982 painting by Davida Allen titled Man in coffin, death of my father.

There is an informative video by Cairns-based Buddhist nun Venerable Rinchen, which is something of a reality check on being mortal. On the one hand, it is interesting. On the other hand, it sucks. But, hey, we are not dead yet, right?

Dearly Departed: death in life continues at State Library of Queensland, South Bank, until August 23.

slq.qld.gov.au/dearlydeparted