The Currency of Devotion
Installation/Sound Design
Acrylic
Projection
2024
New York
This is a reenactment of a praying ritual, where people present material offerings to seek the fulfillment of their desires. Through a chant-like recitation and the material placed in the donation box, they obsessively repeat their wishes to ask for help from a higher existence and convince themselves that their desires can be realized. The project explores the commodification of spiritual practices and the underlying social and economic dynamics that influence how people express and negotiate their desires in Chinese Buddhism.