One Moon Shines in The Same Sky For All

Oil and Texture Medium on Canvas
110 x 98cm

This painting draws on the words of Ryōkan, the eighteenth-century Zen poet-monk celebrated for his luminous simplicity. Writing in both Japanese and Chinese, Ryōkan often sought to dissolve boundaries through the quiet clarity of his verse.

Here his words “One moon shines in the same sky for all” appear in Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, and English, carrying the message across multiple languages as the moon carries its light across multiple oceans.

The soft glow of moonlight on the sea becomes a metaphor for shared existence: wherever we stand, whatever our language, faith, or place, we look up to the same sky.