| Hti rises as a vertical triptych of transmission—electrical, spiritual, and ancestral—painted on denim and bordered by frayed edges. The title refers to the hti, a tiered, umbrella-like finial that crowns Burmese pagodas. Traditionally made of metal and adorned with bells, the hti symbolizes divine protection, cosmic hierarchy, and the upward reach of spiritual architecture. In this piece, the hti becomes a metaphor for layered belief—how systems of power and meaning ascend through structure.
The central panel introduces sacred dispersal: a Tibetan prayer flag, inscribed with script and overlaid on a golden field. Behind it, a line drawing of a multi-armed figure—possibly a deity—emerges in quiet complexity. Prayer flags in Tibetan Buddhism are not meant to be worshipped; they are meant to be released. Hung in high places, their mantras are carried by the wind, spreading blessings of compassion, peace, and wisdom to all beings. The flag becomes a spiritual transmitter—non-verbal, non-linear, and profoundly communal.
At the base, a monochromatic photograph in purple and gray shows two individuals standing side by side. Their presence is quiet, grounded, and emotionally resonant. They are not saints or icons—they are witnesses. Their inclusion anchors the piece in lived experience, suggesting that all systems—electrical, spiritual, architectural—ultimately pass through bodies.
Painted on denim, the work resists sanctity. The frayed edges and hanging threads suggest wear, labor, and cultural residue. Denim becomes a secular canvas for sacred layering.
Hti becomes a vertical meditation on transmission—how power flows, how belief is dispersed, and how memory anchors meaning.
Stacked systems. A moral spire of outlet, flag, and witness.
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