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Jason Lim – Staging – Esse
52e Biennale de Venise | 52nd Venice Biennale, 2007.
photo : Singapore Art Museum & National Arts Council (NAC), Singapour | Singapore

Just Dharma 

The work is based on the Buddhist concept of birth, death and rebirth. The eggshell thin porcelain lotuses were stringed individually, taking shape in a warm red space. A performance involving lights breathed life into the piece. Then it was dropped from a height that shattered the lotuses beyond recovery. The moment it was created, its destiny was to be destroyed—we are all born to die. Just Dharma began a new life after it was crashed. The memory of this act of destruction probably remains fresh in the mind of some witnesses. But memories are fragile and with time we become selective in trying to keep room for moments to come.

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This article also appears in the issue 65 - Fragile
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