H 67 W 43cm. Buddha: Stoneware, oxides; cloud: bone china paper clay, oxides under dry base glaze

Inspired by a visit to the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima. The Buddha, a hole blasted through his chest, sits unmovable, while his blistered skin melts. His expression gives no indication of his thoughts as the mushroom cloud rises from his mind. Helplessness in the face of pandemic destruction? Recognition that the A-bomb saved more lives than it destroyed? Acceptance of the insignificance of life as flesh? By using mass to emphasise space, the piece reflects both the tangible corrosion of the body and the inexplicable endurance of faith. It can be viewed as a two-part piece, the aftermath, or the Buddha alone, representing regeneration.

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