orders

Buddha assumes the lotus position in this beautiful kadam wood carving. Raised in blessing, his hand sends a message of peace to a war-torn world. This revered and enlightened religious figure invited his followers to free themselves from desire in order to attain perfection. His peace of spirit is represented in the serenity of this piece from Suresh and Devender Garg.

Working in a colorful palette of acrylics on canvas, Costa Rican artist Carmen Fuentes creates this expressive painting for NOVICA's World Peace Project. "The work is entitled 'Meditation on Peace' and is inspired by a work I did in 2019 on this same topic. I want to transmit with this work a message about the importance of meditating on peace; therefore, the female figure embodied in the work is a representation of Mother Earth, the nature that we must take care of in order to be in peace and harmony. The transformation and movement are expressed in the leaves that at the same time suggest the idea of birds. The range of cold and warm colors express balance and the white/silver background color represents peace as a purpose of fraternal union," explains Fuentes.

"This sculpture represents the way to keep forgiving each other, loving each other, and to be at peace with yourself, because we are all brothers," explains Balinese artisan Wayan Rendah, conveying this vision in his superbly hand-carved relief panel.

"I is inspired by the turmoil of the world, which is completely uncertain, which causes unrest and difficulties for all countries, Where each party shows a high sense of ego and feels the most right, without realizing it.

"We are all brothers and sisters in this world. There should be no such thing as enmity. In the Hindu sloka verses, the Wedadikatan Sloka — "Wasumdhwam Kutumbhaka" — means let's sit together and shake hands looking for a way to an agreement to achieve world peace."

The artist continues, "The way to make peace for the common good in society and the world is to mediate, to sit down together to find the best solution for problems, and to solve them for the sake of mutual peace and the world. My hope is that all people can respect each other to avoid hostility and injustice in life and society.

"We must forgive and love one another in order to achieve peace. We are all brothers and sisters in this world where there should be no such thing as hatred.

"Love and peace are powerful concepts that inevitably go hand in hand, because one does not exist without the other."