Tommy Vu
Undergraduate, Art + Technology
Once Revered
Clay, wood, acrylic, and spray paint
Once Revered features gold clay sculptures of a bear, a tiger, and an elephant with broken off body parts. The artwork explores the idea of how these animals use to be worshiped or regarded as a higher being in various cultures. As society on a global scale began losing cultural connections, we also began losing the animals we once saw as great due to a lack of care. Therefore, the bear was chosen to represent Eurasian and Native American culture, the tiger for various Eastern cultures, and the elephant to primarily represent Buddhism and Hinduism. These animals are traditionally revered and sacred in these cultures and religions but are now endangered animals. Thus, this piece reflects how we once admired these animals, yet now our reverence has faded along with the care society once had for them.
