Sleeping Bull
Original: 150 x 150 cm | Acrylic and hand-dyed cotton thread on linen. Completed in 2021.
After undergoing a shamanic ritual to rid me of spirit illness, I had a few months of healing period before a Cheondo-jae was scheduled.
Cheondo-jae (薦度齋) is a Buddhist ritual held to offer prayers for the spirit of the dead to be sent to the bliss of the afterworld.
Before the ritual took place, there was an inner calling for this painting: a sleeping bull surrounded by lotus flowers.
Once I had the epiphany I learned that a sleeping bull represents ancestors at peace.
Lotus flowers are closely connected to Buddhism and they represent the purity of the body: rising and blooming above the murk to achieve enlightenment. The bull finally closes its eyes to fully rest for it to ready itself for reincarnation.
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High quality print on 310g/m² Hahnemühle William Turner paper (or similar*).
*Depending on what paper is available at a printer local to you.