- Posted by Teen Guide Council Leader Olivia Califano
It was around 5pm on Saturday when I managed to touch the glacial, but ever so charming ice Buddha at the Rubin for the 17th time in two days. With wet hands I turned around to ask a lady taking a picture next to me whether its creator, Atta Kim, was around. She directed me to the guide who was watching over the Buddha at this time and who was kind enough to explain to me the entire process by which the Buddha had been assembled. Apparently, it arrived at the museum in separate pieces, which were then fused back together with a hot iron. After our mini conversation, I was once again curious about the whereabouts of Mr. Kim. Then it was time. Atta Kim was standing, eyeing his creation. Impulsively, I approached him and introduced myself.
I had noticed that the head of the Buddha was in two pieces and I asked him about it. To my surprise it wasnt Atta Kim who answered my question, but rather the man standing next to him, who turned out to be his son. He told me that the head was too big to fit in a single block of ice and thus the back of the head had to be carved from a separate block and then fused. As I was wondering why Atta Kim had replied to me through his son, it became clear to me that I had stumbled upon an ominous language barrier that was preventing me from interacting with the Buddhas creator, something that I had hoped to do for the entire afternoon. But was this barrier actually an impediment to my experience?
Recently, TGC has been discussing the concept of communication barriers and the way that art surpasses them. So with this mindset, there was nothing that could have detracted from my experience with Atta Kim. The art spoke for itself and Atta Kims presence and quiet listening was powerful. However, just when I thought I was satisfied, Atta Kim spoke to me out of the blue. He asked me how I felt about his piece and I told him I felt mesmerized by the fact that the simple act of touching the Buddha could bring together an entire community. Then he put his hands in front of his heart, bowed his head to me and I felt the artwork take over.