Weaponized Compassion
2024
7 x 3 x 2.5 inches
plastic/resin statue, inert steel grenade, acrylic
As part of the series of sculpture pieces featuring the bodhisattva Kannon, this work raises the question as to whether weapons are able to be employed in the form of compassionate action. The figure of Kannon represents the "skillful means" of the bodhisattva, whereby wisdom is manifested appropriately through a contemplative consideration of the time, place, position, and degree of a given situation. As such, the resin figure of Kannon sits atop the heavy, inert grenade in order to evoke the sense that meditation is a necessary and inseparable complement to the skillful use of weapons.