Lotus Beads (2024)
Copper plate etching, electric wires, reeds, rice paper
Continuing the Buddhist blue and red color symbolism from Bodhisattva to Lotus Beads (2024), the hair of the female figure is blue and the pink lotus flower Buddhist beads are threaded by blue and red electric wires. The electrical wires and the individual mat board border that I created for the prints came from my personal experience of burning and melting a plastic pot as a result of having mental baggage from toxic people. Seeing the blue and red electric wires inside the pot that I’d never seen daily before and having my skiing experience in Alpe d’Huez, I was struck by the beautiful lines of these two colors that have multiple significant meanings. Blue and red, the meaning of the word “color” in Chinese art history, the colors of the blood vein, the colors of detachment and passion in Buddhism, and the colors of multiple countries’ flags including the United States have tremendous power. The burning of the pot that almost burned the wires and blue and red gave me more personal significance in thinking about staying alive and the concept of protection. The wires circulate detachment and passion, and destruction and completion.
Colors
Friendship
Besides the red and blue electric wires, the pink loti on the prints represents the desire for friendship. The central frontal print is surrounded by a red lotus created by water-colored Chinese rice paper glued on the reeds representing burning and circulation. The lotus itself is a system of circulation since lotus petals are clean in the mud yet the flowers fell into the mud and dirty water to create a clean lotus again. The idea of going downward into the muddy water to produce clean and flourishing loti is also shown through the figure’s facial expression. As she calmly looks downward with her long eyelashes, she avoids communication with the audience through visual senses yet invites deeper communication through her presence. Thus, the system of the lotus is comparable to the system of bodhisattva who come from the mortal world yet decides to return to it to help more people become bodhisattva. The circulation is supported by the electric wires threaded deliberately that the frontal pieces contain more red wires and the background pieces contain more blue wires because I view the blue and red as similar to black and white in Chinese calligraphy which produces depth using only two colors. The symbolism of wearing the Buddhist mala suggests protection and blessing–indicating the importance of my female friends’ presence for me.
Presentation
Installed, the piece represents a huge lotus mala that any visitor could stand in and examine the beads around them, as they are recalling their own friends. The idea of making the huge lotus beads came from my previous visit to China after haven’t been back for two and a half years. In various cities in China, I noticed that a lot of people started to wear Buddhist mala, especially after COVID-19, to seek protection from Buddhas. Perhaps people are worried about their health and future during this uncertain time. However, I want to express that it’s not Buddhas who are truly protecting the people but their true friends. Instead of worshipping Buddhas, I wish to let people realize that they have always been surrounded and protected by their friends when they are viewing the piece.