While the formal stringency of black-and-white photography emphasizes contemplative aspects of daily religious practice, the medium of assemblage permits ironic comment on human frailties. The leaves of the bodhi tree, under which Buddha gained enlightenment, are reinterpreted as lottery tickets. They symbolize the conflict between the striving for spiritual fulfilment on the one hand and material success in a consumer-oriented society on the other. Mass-fabricated Buddha figures, invitingly arranged to attract buyers, criticize the appropriation and commercialization of a religious icon. In the wake of globalized esoteric interest. The figures has long become a decorative accessory in Western living rooms and furniture stores.
The gulf between religious tenets of peacefulness and daily experiences of violence or disillusionment in view of the entanglement of religion and politics, are visualized. One example is the representation of a collapsing stupa, which stands as a metaphor for the threatening erosion of traditional values.
