On a dusty, digitally rendered plane, a lone figure looks outwards at nothing. Deep in a flaming abyss, a shimmering avatar dances wildly. It grins, swinging a grimly visaged head on a chain. These scenes portray two of the six realms of ‘samsara’ in Lu Yang’s ‘DOKU’. According to Buddhist doctrine, this concept (meaning the cycle of suffering that is existence) comprises six entities: animals, humans, gods, demi-gods, hungry ghosts, and those resigned to hell. A masterful piece of existential fiction inspired by the rich belief system of Buddhism, the visual arts exhibit included a series of animated character sequences and a longer film piece. I have always had a great interest in Buddhism, and love video game-style art, so this exhibit was a must-see for me. The strikingly dressed cast contrasted powerfully with their cultural context: arcane lore projected onto pixel models.
Doku spoke to my growing spiritual questions for the world. Throughout history, humanity has experienced and caused various calamities, and spiritual structures grow to cope with that. Existing in the current political, environmental, and social climate has me wondering: how can I deal with this tumult? Whilst I haven’t reached any conclusions yet, learning about different religions and philosophies has been of great comfort to me.
I enjoyed ‘DOKU’ so much because of how it incorporated Buddhist symbolism in a very modern way. Lu Yang, at one point in the exhibit, presents the six bodies of samsara as members of a k-pop-style boy band, dancing in synchrony in colourful suits. The absurdity of the scene struck me. I was particularly moved by the faces of each vibrant character: they wore the identical, expressionless face of the artist. When confronted by the world, I often feel so powerless and overwhelmed, my face growing blank and tired. Despite the otherworldly, somewhat uncanny, appearance of DOKU’s characters, it was easy to project myself onto them.
