The Beauty of Buddha

The wise and watchful eyes of the Buddha stare down from countless temple paintings, immense stone sculptures, and elaborate woodblock prints, testament to a tradition that dates back more than 2,500 years. For millennia, some of the world’s foremost artists and sculptors have sought to represent moral and spiritual ideals through depictions of the Buddha. And, while we tend to think of the archetypical seated Buddha with an expression of imperturbable calm, the depictions actually exhibit many subtle yet significant differences. 
           
The Beauty of Buddha closely examines an extensive collection of Burmese Buddhas through a series of powerful photographic meditations by German photographer Hubertus Hamm. Beautifully staged, Hamm’s photographs reflect—both artistically and personally—on the meaning of each individual figure to offer a series of contemplative photographic responses to the immense spiritual and metaphysical questions that confront all human beings. Each carefully composed image in turn constitutes a compelling and intensely personal dialogue between the photographer and the ancient sculpture that serves as deeply meaningful subject.