Visitors entering Thimphu City will now be welcomed by a brand new sculpture that represents the Buddhist concept of reincarnation. Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay unveiled the sculpture today. It is a replacement for the “Thuenpa Puenzhi” or the “Four Friends” monument which once stood at the Babesa Zero Roundabout. The sculpture serves as an important cultural landmark for the capital city.
In January of last year, a design competition was held to select a new sculpture for the Babesa Zero roundabout in Thimphu.
The competition received almost 30 entries from artists across the nation.
Hiroyuki Suzuki, an instructor at the National Institute for Zorig Chusum and his teammate won the competition. Their design has now been converted into the sculpture which is named “Living”, a stack of bowls made out of copper and painted with gold.
“They have different shapes, but they have the same volume. It is my concept for this sculpture. I think in Buddhism, our life continues around eternally. So, our design shows our reverse continuing life.”
Sir Antony Gormley, a world-renowned, award-winning sculptor selected the design.
“We had a competition, and Suzuki-san from Tokyo won the competition. The work is called “Living”, and it has eight levels. It’s like the eightfold path of Buddhism. And I guess that the idea of the work is to make a contemporary evocation of the spirit of Bhutan.”
According to the Department of Culture and Dzongkha Development, the sculpture represents the cyclical nature of existence and symbolises life’s enduring presence and transformation within a specific space.
Yeshi Samdrup, Chief Architect of the Department of Culture and Dzongkha Development said “This sculpture is a gift from His Majesty The King to the people and tourists. The sculpture is an integration of traditional design with modern elements. The purpose of installing relics in this sculpture is to evade misfortunes and natural disasters in the country.”
The construction of the sculpture began in April this year, initiated by the Department of Culture and Dzongkha Development.
Deki Lhazom
Edited by Tshering Zam
