Taixu

Taixu (太虛/Cosmos) explores the interconnectedness that defines our existence. Drawing inspiration from the Heart Sutra's teaching, this project delves into the non-dual nature of reality, where the boundaries between the self and the universe dissolve.

In Taixu, Alvin Ng examines the intricate web of connections that link humanity to everything around us; from the iron in our blood, forged in the hearts of dying stars, to the air we breathe, shared with plants, animals, and fellow humans. Our bodies become cosmic artifacts, composed of the same elements that shape the Earth and Sky, reflecting a unity that transcends individuality.

The work moves beyond mere observation; it unfolds as a meditation on the essence of being. By expanding the scope of interconnectedness to encompass both the physical and the metaphysical, Taixu reveals that in our connectedness, we are everything, and in being everything, we touch the profound state of zero, or zero-ness.

Through visual narratives, Alvin invites viewers to reflect on their place within this infinite network of relationships, where every form is a manifestation of emptiness and every emptiness is pregnant with form. In this realisation, the distinctions between self and other, between one and many, dissolve, leaving only the profound understanding that we are the universe experiencing itself.