The Death of the Lotus

Mid-day light illuminates a pond of decaying lotuses and turns black plant forms against a white background into scenes of abstract calligraphy, loose and flowing yet taut within its own geometry. Central to the meaning of The Death of the Lotus is the metaphor of life, death, and resurrection expressed through the image of the lotus. Written reflections on the illusion of permanence, the perception of images, and the capriciousness of nature integrate text and image. The Death of the Lotus was created in response to the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and is dedicated to its victims who, like the lotuses, "did not even survive the next gust of wind."