The Cocoon Of Belief

2022

Qing dynasty bodhisattva statues, mud dauber nest

This Qing Dynasty wooden sculpture of Guanyin, dating back nearly two hundred years, was collected by me from southern China. Before being rediscovered, it had long been forgotten in a corner, partially damaged, with large areas of its gilded surface already worn away.

In Chinese folk tradition, devotional statues often contain a small concealed cavity on the back known as a “zhuangcang.” Scriptures, grains, or objects associated with personal wishes and beliefs would be placed inside in order to complete the statue’s spiritual consecration.

I guided a mud dauber wasp to build a nest inside this long-abandoned cavity. Its offspring would hatch, transform, and eventually leave the space. What was once an interior reserved for human faith has now become a site for another form of life to reproduce and depart.