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Dissecting An Icon (2016)
Resin, Powder, Steel and Perspex.
1.5m x 1.5m.
By Leon Poh, Lee Ying Xiang, Charmaine Villamin and Lau Eng Seng.
The Standing Buddha sculpture from the Gupta Period (320-550 CE), that was shown at the Asian Civilizations Museum lead to the creation of our artwork. The representation of the Buddha in his full form encouraged us to take a closer look at the other sculptures in the exhibition. We observed the change in the different Buddha images throughout the periods. The Buddha image has been continuously appropriated through the different ages, by different civilizations to suit their own stylized idea of beauty. The Indians valued the lean look of the Buddha statues: they were a symbol of abstinence and virtue, while statues of a fat, Laughing Buddha have been originated in China, and was thought to be attributed to prosperity and good fortune. The Japanese also adapted Buddha images that were similar to the Indians, but they contained features that were more oriental in nature
The piece is inspired by the aesthetics of Jonty Hurwitz’s work The Thinker (2010), and the ideology behind Gonkar Gyatso’s Three Realms (2012). Gyatso in particular incorporates pop culture references into his sculptures, and uses the Buddha image to criticize the consumerism present in modern society. Inspired by these appropriations of the Buddha image that aim to achieve each civilization’s own standard of beauty, “Dissecting an Icon” was created as a visual response to these issues. Drawing a parallel with society’s cult following of popular culture and appearances today, the work consists of several suspended pieces of wood, that when combined, form a large Buddha head. But when approached from another angle, each piece is then seen to contain different magazine cutouts of images of popular celebrities. “Dissecting an Icon” aims to provide a commentary on celebrity worship, how pop culture and public opinion shape icons in society, and how it represents the impermanence and artificiality of the construct of beauty in society.