Delicate Shell of Self

b. 1970 in Thailand; based in Nakornphrathom

Delicate Shell of Self was part of Utai’s first exhibition, “Only Appearance” (2007). The piece resembles a human figure meditating cross-legged. Sculpted to be solid and geometric outside, but hollow inside, the sculpture appears to reference a famous verse from the Buddhist Heart Sutra: “Form is emptiness; emptiness is form.” Though the self may appear solid and fixed, it is only a shell that contains a self that is permeable, fluid, and impermanent. Facing the life-size sculpture, viewers may wonder: “What is it that constitutes the self?”