avidyaphage?
in september of 2009, my friend jim inspired me to get off my ass and start painting again. i began a new series combining my enthusiasm for chaos and composition with the more precise style of my technical work. this, along with the influence of street art and vinyl culture, has formed the avidyaphage.
avidya is sanskrit for ignorance or delusion, regarded as the root of suffering in buddhism. its opposite is vidya, knowledge, which in this context is synonymous with prajna, or wisdom.
phage is a reference to the bacteriophage, a variety of virus that preys on bacteria. the upper icosahedron contains the viral genetic material, and the lower, six-legged tail portion clamps on to bacteria and bores a hole in the outer membrane. the phage then acts like a living hypodermic needle, injecting its dna into the host and hijacking its replication systems. bacteriophages are the most abundant and diverse biological entities on earth, and are used as alternatives to antibiotics in humans.
i’ve combined the image of the phage with the tibetan script of the word aum, which is visualized in white at the center of the brain in esoteric buddhism and is considered the antidote to ignorance. it represents the body of buddha, a manifestation of pure wisdom.
pronounced “ah-VID-yah-fāj”, it’s a rather creepy virus that sneaks into our minds, destroying all the delusion that clouds our consciousness.
