VAM
2025
36” x 48”
Acrylic paint and spray paint on canvas
This piece explores how graffiti-like shapes applied with spray paint are completely altered by overlaying the Siddham syllables that are preserved in syncretic religious traditions like Shugendō for the purpose of writing the sacred names of buddhas and other deities. The neon green tones and smoke-like characters in the background suggest toxic pollution, while the white of the Siddham evokes purity. Both styles of writing letters are combined into a singular image to demonstrate how the polluted and the pure are one from the beginning. To further indicate this oneness, the largest syllable, VAM, denotes the Buddha Dainichi Nyorai that embodies the entire universe and appears to be playfully issuing forth additional syllable-deities.