Anthony Stevens British, b. 1978
NAM No 1., 2020
Mixed textiles, hand embroidery, acrylic and sequins
54 x 68 cm
Copyright The Artist
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Further images
A simplistic translation of the word ‘NAM’, is ‘devotion to’. in some branches of Japanese Buddhism, it is used as an honorific title that is placed before a Buddha’s name...
A simplistic translation of the word ‘NAM’, is ‘devotion to’. in some branches of Japanese Buddhism, it is used as an honorific title that is placed before a Buddha’s name or the tile of a sutra. In the context of this work, I personally understand ‘NAM’ to be a bow of reverence, respect and sometimes surrender to the Buddha nature inherent in all things. By making this internal bow, the weight of the crown of my ego, my little king, falls from my head for a while and allows me to sometimes become aware of something much bigger and deeper than the surface chatter of my mind (represented by the monkey and the Buddhist concept of monkey mind). It is refreshing and and offers me some perspective of my place in things. Unfortunately or fortunately, I don’t really know which, I inevitably pick my crown back up and pop it back on. Maybe this is the way of world? Maybe by acknowledging our own crowns and the crowns of others we become more respectful of each other? It is food for thought.