Zhang Huan's Berlin Buddha

Launching its Berlin space, Haunch of Venison has a new project up by Zhang Huan, a four-meter tall Buddha made from compacted ash from joss sticks. Facing it is the gigantic aluminum molds that were used to create it. A little like fellow Chinese-born artist Huang Yong Ping's sand castle, this piece is meant to deteriorate and crumble as time passes."To me, ashes carry unseen sedimentary residue, and tremendous human data about the collective and individual subconscious," Zhang says. "As time goes by, the environment will affect the work, as the floor will tremble with movement, ash Buddha will also change and fall into piece. The work questions what is Buddha. And since all is void, will ash lie still?"

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