DOKU Hell dances with a severed head in his hand—the head of DOKU Human or LuYang? This archetypal motif alludes to Eastern and Western religions and art history. It can be seen as a reference to Kali, the Hindu goddess of death and destruction, and at the same time the composition is reminiscent of Caravaggio’s famous painting David with the Head of Goliath (1600/01). Perhaps it also hints at the symbolic death of the artist, who is decapitated by his avatar. DOKU Hell’s dance is inspired by the demon queen Rangda, who fights against Barong, the leader of the good spirits. The battle between the two is embodied in the Balinese Barong dance. In Samsara, hell is the lowest realm, and those reborn here must endure torment until their bad karma is repaid. With LuYang, a medialized, globally recognizable version of hell can be seen, reminiscent of the architecture of science fiction and mystery films or even the series Stranger Things. But as with the higher realms of Samsara or Dante’s Inferno, Hell is only a product of the human imagination.
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LuYang
DOKU Hell, 2022
from the series DOKU Six Realms of Reincarnation
DOKU Hell dances with a severed head in his hand—the head of DOKU Human or LuYang? This archetypal motif alludes to Eastern and Western religions and art history. It can be seen as a reference to Kali, the Hindu goddess of death and destruction, and at the same time the composition is reminiscent of Caravaggio’s famous painting David with the Head of Goliath (1600/01). Perhaps it also hints at the symbolic death of the artist, who is decapitated by his avatar. DOKU Hell’s dance is inspired by the demon queen Rangda, who fights against Barong, the leader of the good spirits. The battle between the two is embodied in the Balinese Barong dance.
In Samsara, hell is the lowest realm, and those reborn here must endure torment until their bad karma is repaid. With LuYang, a medialized, globally recognizable version of hell can be seen, reminiscent of the architecture of science fiction and mystery films or even the series Stranger Things. But as with the higher realms of Samsara or Dante’s Inferno, Hell is only a product of the human imagination.
Further artworks from this exhibition