“Ganesh”,   5' totem - Ceramic wall hanging, 2016-2017
In the 1200’s a set of four Japanese scrolls, Choju-jinbutsu-giga, were illustrated with ink brush drawings depicting the satire of the Buddhist monks.  There is no recorded story or known history of the scrolls.  It has been suggested that these were the first Japanese “anime” or “manga”.  I have appropriated the images from the scrolls into sculpture.  The fox, rabbits and frogs constructed for my totem were depicted in the scrolls. 

​Ganesh, though not depicted in the scrolls, was introduced to Japan in the 9th Century AD and is considered the god of Love.  The viewer cannot escape their own known associative history with these images.  

It is the universal understanding of reverence and satire, perhaps the humor to survive, that drew me to the comedic animal images and the revered.

​​Lynn Krug
Ganesh Totem
Ceramic and underglaze (2016/2017)
60" x 24" x 6"