OPINION

Mixing Art with Belief

Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 13/09/2019

» Mixing art with belief can be a recipe for controversy, especially when you think outside the box. Three Ultraman-inspired paintings of Buddha images by an unnamed uni student that caused an online uproar earlier this week are a case in point. She meant no disrespect by portraying Buddha as a superhero. The analogy is quite obvious as Buddha fights the world's evils through his teaching while the Ultramen fight the kaiju monsters. A flattering comparison, if you ask me. However, she was pressured to tearfully apology for -- in my opinion -- doing nothing wrong. Her biggest crime is interpreting Buddha through a contemporary pop-culture lens. It's the price she had to pay for portraying Buddha image in any way else besides sacred, I guess. Most importantly, didn't Lord Buddha teach us not to hold on to idols and be open-minded?