Sydney Buddha
2015, Ash, Wood, Aluminium and Steel
Ash Buddha Part: 209 x 291 x 138 inches(530 x 740 x 350 cm)
Aluminium Buddha Part: 209 x 142 x 146 inches(530 x 360 x 370 cm)
Carriageworks, Sydney, Australia

Jan. 8 - Mar. 22, 2015
From January 8, Carriageworks, in association with Sydney Festival, will present two large-scaled sculptures of Buddha, entitled Zhang Huan: Sydney Buddha. The exhibition will be the largest installation ever created for Australia by the internationally renowned Chinese artist.

Created with 20 tonnes of incense ash and standing at over five meters tall, Sydney Buddha is a meditation on the brevity of life and the cycles of renewal and destruction. One Buddha is created from aluminum and acts as a mold to form the second Buddha, which is created from incense ash collected from Buddhist temples in Shanghai, Jiangsu Province, and Zhejiang Province of China. The ephemeral ash gradually disintegrate over the course of the exhibition, affected by exposure to the environment.

For over two decades Zhang Huan has examined contemporary life through an engagement with the traditions and rituals which are central to Buddhist, Chinese and Tibetan histories. He was described as "ONE OF CHINA’S MOST DARING ARTISTS" by THE NEW YORK TIMES.