Impermanence II.

A Series of Two-Part Works: Painting and Performance, 2018/2019

This series consists of wall paintings that I subsequently dismantle myself. The concept draws on the Tibetan Buddhist practice of sand mandalas, which are ritually destroyed upon completion. Motifs are selected according to site- or time-specific conditions. One of the central teachings of Buddhism is the doctrine of impermanence: all phenomena exist in a constant state of flux and transience. Because nothing endures, attachment to things inevitably gives rise to suffering. The project examines my own response to the deliberate destruction of a work after sustained labour, as well as the reactions of others who witness or learn of the act. What emotions or reflections does the process provoke? Is it possible to fully relinquish the work?