The composition of the sculpture comes from the story of Chinese Buddhism, known as "Nine Dragons Bath Prince". The artist deliberately makes the infant Shakyamuni pose with his middle finger up instead of an orthodox religious gesture, expressing a strong attitude toward today's reality. The artist inserts a few icons from today's popular and consumerist culture, such as McDonald’s, automobiles and sneakers. As one of the many non-religious young Chinese artists, Zhang visualized such strong cultural influence from the West as if they were religious in today's society.
|