Hongbin Yang
2023
Yang Hongbin (1997), born in China, he is a designer with a background in traditional graphic design, specializing in design and materials. Through inward connection, he deconstructs and reconstructs the symbolization of the Qian Shou Kuan Yin and her religious weapon, to rebuild and supplement the systemic understanding of suffering behind religious weapons, thereby challenging the sacred foundation of Buddhist beliefs. In his project, he examines how the entanglement between religious secularization and everyday life has led to the emergence and development of pragmatic religious practices. Taking the "impurity" of religion as a critical starting point, he collaborates with the He Hua Temple based in Amsterdam to explore the complex relationship between the sacredness of religion and secularization, encompassing both love and hate.
If pragmatic religious practices are not based on utilitarianism but face challenges, how should temples handle and guide people's vulnerability? This project employs religious symbols and diverse material finishes to narrate the story, emphasizing how individuals passively disconnect from themselves and place all their hopes in Buddhism and exploring how secularization shapes the future of the relationship between people and Buddhism.