Rabbitism

My work is based primarily on Buddhist philosophy. I create a symbolic or iconic form of image-making called “Rabbitism” that represents the human condition. By creating my own illustrations, I hope to depict the messages of Buddhism in a highly personal and unique way. I aim to convey to the viewer that beneath the doctrine and complicated practices of this world religion, there is a simple way to understand Buddhism within both life and art. I combine the media of hand painting and with digital printing in my work. Graphic design has long been my focus for my art, and remains my strong suit. To push myself beyond my comfort zone of graphic design alone, I have embraced the realms of painting with animation, thereby expanding my aesthetic to serve my ideas and to engage in contemporary art practices that are no longer fixed in traditional or single media use. I have tried to step away from traditional art materials, as I feel that they would constrain my perceptions of Buddhism. My work is most notably flat, bold and colorful. My pieces are each filled with a message from Buddha, especially a sense of simplicty and joy. Regarding my embrace of and definition of Rabbitism, I find inspiration for my work from my perspective as a Asian and a practicing Buddhist. The myth of the rabbit in Buddhism has grown for many years in my conscious and unconscious mind. The rabbit is a symbol of delusion and ignorance for the Buddhist. Whenever one allows delusion to take control of the soul, he or she has allowed the animal nature of the human to dominate or, in other words, to be possessed by Rabbitist desire.
My artwork is intended to encourage the audience to be adventurous in their own perceptions. I have created a body of work that evolves from my own personal experiences in meditation and that gives people the freedom to develop opinions not connected to themselves and to seek the message of Buddha indirectly in the form of metaphor.