The 1000-Armed project (2022)


This project consists of 29 paintings. 28 small tertiary panels surround a large central panel, all of which visually stem from my ‘scapes series I began in the first year of my master’s thesis at Massey University, Wellington, although they now exist as separate from it. The central panel measures 1.2m square and is oil on panel, whereas the 28 surrounding works measure 10cm square each and are oil and immitation gold leaf on panel.

This project was created specifically for the Toi Poneke Residents Exhibiton 2022. There were 17 participating artists and each of us were allocated a 1.5m section of wall space in the gallery. The large panels I usually use for my ‘scapes paintings all measure 1.2m square. This meant I could only use one as two stacked would not fit the space which has a low ceiling. This left me extra space of 15cm to play with surrounding the panel. I wanted to stick with the square format so devised a series of “companions” which would add to/enhance the asthetics of the larger work. I settled on a format of seven tertiary panels to each side of the large central work.

The idea of a large image surrounded by “supporting” units put me in mind of my time spent in Japan studying Buddhist sculptures of the Heian period. Particularly important was the use of the Bodhisattva (bosatsu in Japanese) sculptures on display in the Sanjusangen-do hall at the Myodoin temple complex in Kyoto. In the Zen Buddhist tradition bosatsu are beings with the ability to achieve enlightenment (and become Buddha), but choose to stay behind and help those still in this reality reach nirvana (the place of enlightenment). There are 1001 sculptures on display, each carved out of Japanese cedar and covered with gold leaf. They surround a larger central figure of Buddha. These Bodhisattva are called kannon-bosatsu, a bodhisattva with 1000 arms which they use to help as many humans as possible achieve enlightenment. The sculptures, however, only have 42 arms each, but every hand is either holding a different object or gesturing in a different way from its neighbour.

With this in mind I created each “bosatsu” painting with a gold background in reference to the 1001 1000-armed Bodhisattva display in Kyoto. Furthermore, the way I design the structure motifs in my ‘scapes permits me to create individualised structures without repeating the same image twice, so each is unique like those gold-covered bosatsu sculptures. Finally, I left four “bosatsu” panels blank (i.e., an empty ‘scape with no structure motif) in the centre of each row to reference the concept of nirvana which is a state of non-existence, a place of nothingness.

Use of gold leaf as a background with a flesh-toned structure motif in the center also recalls late Gothic and early Renaissance panel paintings of both the Flemish and Eastern European traditions, specifically religious icons and altarpieces. The idea of icon paintings was to bring religious devotion experienced in church into the home as they were small painted panels easily transported. The small teritary ‘scape panels in this project also work in the same way. They are able to be separated from the original group and brought into the home for private contemplation. As such, I had all the works available for sale individually, rather than have a complete group that had to stay together.

Having said all this, my project is not an exercise in religious devotion. Whereas religous iconography is created for the purpose of imaging the divine - an external concept from the psyche - my imagery is wholly sourced from my own mind with no deliberate attachment to external concepts of divinity in the Western sense of this term. If anything, my work is more closely related (cenceptually) to Eastern religio-philosophical concerns. The religious iconography I have extensively studied over the years has been a tool that has aided me in exploring new aesthetics. My concerns are aesthetic, not ecclesiastic.

This project is also a proposal. I intend to continue iterations of this project in the future. The next steps would include: multiplication of the “bosatsu” panels; reoriention (including grid displays or continuous “strips” either vertically or horizontally); and/or covering a large central panel in gold leaf.