Kinnara Artwork

The kinarra is a benevolent Buddhist mythological creature; half man, half bird. There are two kinnara lampposts illuminating a stretch of Thai Town on Hollywood Boulevard, gifts of the Thai government to the City of Los Angeles. The gorgeous golden statues are perched on tall metallic columns and pedestals, set near a pedestrian crosswalk. Odds are if you keep your gaze aimed low to fiddle with your phone while walking down the street, you'll miss them. They serve as a reminder to look up, not just from your devices but in general, even in a city famous for its low-rise development. In the piece, the winged kinnara is juxtaposed with the pedestrian crossing sign, its arrow pointed down. The viewer is invited to decipher the semiotics according to their individual reading of the scene. According to Wikipedia, "The creatures are believed to come from the Himalayas and often watch over the well-being of humans in times of trouble or danger." We may well be in need of these keepers. "Kinnara" 30 x 30 x 2.5 in. Acrylic, cotton rag mat, Thai-language newspaper, vintage map, 24k gold leaf, resin, on deep-cradled wood panel