Life and Death is the most fundamental binary of continuity; it is the single most significant duality of beginning and ending; it is the vital axis of human existence and of every being or object that emerges within the universe of our knowledge and is granted the possibility of dying. It is the physical and philosophical phenomenon of light and darkness. For humankind, it remains the most essential paradox of an inexplicable dualism, standing above all other enigmatic questions. For the painter Faton Kryeziu, Life and Death represents the reality that everything with a beginning also has an end.

Around this binary as a phenomenon of life—one that embraces both humans and objects for a determined period within a fluid space—countless literary, cinematic, and artistic works have been created. Death and Life as a comprehensive title was first published in 1961. It is the name of the book by American-Canadian writer Jane Jacobs (1916–2006), which takes the form of a critical analysis of urban planning policies in major American cities during the 1950s in the United States.

The Death and Life of John F. Donovan is a Canadian dramatic film from 2018, directed by Xavier Dolan (1989). Its narrative unfolds in three distinct sequences with interwoven scenes, exploring themes of celebrity, tabloid media in Hollywood, mother-son relationships, and homosexuality.

Death and Life (Tod und Leben), painted between 1908 and 1915, is one of the most renowned works by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt (1862–1918).