"Richard Purdy: Stupa - Built and Unbuilt"
2003-09-13 until 2003-10-18
OBORO
Montreal, QC, CA

For twenty-seven years Richard Purdy has been wondering about stupas. Through his art, he has been trying to make sense of something terribly simple. "When you have been on the sacred circuit for a while – visiting 5, 10, 50, 100, 1000 stupas – you begin to notice the characteristics of the stupas you are visiting, the fact that they subtly change from place to place – dagobas, chedis, pagodas, chortens. Stupas seem to represent distinct races, and their distinguishing features evolve over geographical distance.

Questions emerge and methodologies are repeated, but then, in a few years, they are abandoned. Masses of stone begin to speak to your deepest self, and curiously, you answer back, attempting a dialogue. All over the world the number of stupa-watchers, stupa builders, stupa worshippers are growing, and tentatively attesting to their fascination."

Invited by OBORO to participate in an artist’s residence, to build an installation and to create a bookwork, Purdy’s project integrates multiple themes touching on contemporary art and contemporary spirituality.

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for Canada

Other Important Exhibitions in Canada