Hasentempel / Rabbit Temple

Hybrid creatures between human and animal populate the works of artist Leiko Ikemura, who mediates between different creatures as well as Western and Eastern cultures. This sculpture, which also serves as a temple, is a standing female figure whose wide skirt is open at the front, creating an opening into an empty space inside. The upper body and face of the figure are female, which makes it reminiscent of the Madonna of Mercy from Christian iconography. Her hands are held in front of her chest in a gesture of inner contemplation. The top of her head ends in two long antennae, horns or rabbit ears, turning her into a hybrid creature. Similar figures are frequently found in Leiko Ikemura’s work. This one, a bronze patinated in white enamel, stands on a three-tiered plinth in the middle of a pool of water, which renders her even more aloof and highlights the aspect of inner contemplation rather than the level that promises empathy.