A seated image of Amitabha Nyorai made of ice is enshrined in a freezer that resembles a kitchen. When the kitchen is opened to worship the Buddha image, the image gradually melts due to the intrusion of outside air. One of the basic tenets of Buddhism is the concept of "all things are equal. This is the idea that there is no "self" as an eternal, unchanging entity in all things. It is based on the idea of "independent origination," which holds that everything is not independent but dependent. In the third sutra of the Pali Buddhist sutras, the "Jisetsu Sutra," the Buddha said the following.
"If this is, he is; if this is not, he is not. If this arises, he arises; if this perishes, he perishes."
- (Small Part Sutra, Jisetsu Sutra, 1, 1-3 Bodhicitta)
In this work, the Buddha image changes from moment to moment with the involvement of the viewer, and ultimately disappears through continuous causality. It can be said that an "adversarial" relationship has been established between the Buddha image and the viewer. However, Buddhism teaches that change is the providence of the world, and that Cold Buddha sacrifices his own materiality (= "color" in Buddhist terminology) in order to bring us the Buddha image. Cold Buddha embodies the relationship between us and the world by sacrificing his own materiality (= "color" in Buddhist terminology).
Excerpts from the introduction to the works in the solo exhibition Yesterday's antagonist becomes today's ally, Today's ally becomes tomorrow's antagonist. at Gallery Muryoku, Toyama, Japan.
This text was translated with DeepL.com.
