Enmity, ink on paper, 15cm x 20cm, $1000
Koi is the national fish of Japan. It symbolizes love, friendship, peace, strength and determination. Each koi fish has its own beautiful, unique markings, and colors so looking into a koi pond is enjoyable because the scene looks like a beautiful shifting kaleidoscope.
Love, friendship and peace are not the antonyms of strength and determination. The opposites of these traits are hate, enmity and war. Love, friendship and peace can become the catalysts behind change and power if used in conjunction with strength and determination. These traits are not signs of weakness. Yet, we find that some people don’t see it that way or at least they have lost sight of the power that these traits can hold… as well as their necessity!
Aren’t we like the koi!? We too are all beautiful, unique, and each with our own role to play and responsibility within our “pond.” The same symbols found in the koi can and should describe us so we can live in harmony with one another.
This diptych explores the opposition between two perceptions. Peace, love, and friendship in conjunction with strength and determination found in the first, War, hate, enmity, strength, and determination in the other.