Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Buddha Gets His Head(s) Together



The installation of Zhang Huan's "Three Heads Six Arms Buddha" continues apace, and Wednesday saw the addition of all three heads.



The trio of heads consist of a Buddha and two human faces including a self-portrait of the artist, which seems a cheeky proposition.



The detailing on the copper statue is wonderful...



...though the engineering seems a little less than exact from the look of the curator hammering in a leaf-shaped ornament.



The statue is based on Tibetan pieces destroyed during the Cultural Revolution which the artist found in a marketplace, but its real inspiration could just as easily be Ray Harryhausen, the movie special effects pioneer.



If Ray had ever gotten around to a "Life of Buddha" sci-fi flick, this is undoubtedly what one of the major characters would have looked like.

4 comments:

affinity said...

I am posting these posts on my facebook page. Hope that is okay. I am so excited to see it. Thanks so much for keeping us posted.

Civic Center said...

Dear affinity: That's more than okay. Glad you're enjoying them.

mary ann said...

very cool

Peteykins said...

Oh, wow, you are so right with the Harryhausen comparison. Where is he when you need him most?