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Holding Themselves
Artist: Yin Peet
Size: 8’Hx6’Wx5’D
Weight: 1 tons
Year completed:
Material:
When people hear the word burden, they often imagine something that weighs us down. Yin’s Human Burden series explores another possibility: that some burdens give our lives purpose and shape who we become.
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This sculpture begins with the image of an egg—a universal symbol of birth, potential, and the beginning of life. On top of the Egg sits a human figure, whose oversized hand holds and balance the Egg in turn.
The hand is intentionally larger than the figure. It supports with quiet strength to itself’s very own body.
Throughout Yin’s work, the hand represents human effort, hope, and our ability to shape our own lives. Notice how the figure, the hand, and the egg wrap around one another. None can exist alone. The sculpture is not about one element supporting another, but about their complete interdependence. We are shaped by where we come from, by the choices we make, and by the strength we discover within ourselves.
People sometimes quote the saying, “God helps those who help themselves.” To Yin, the supporting hand can be understood in both ways. It may be an unseen force that sustains us, or it may be our own inner strength. The sculpture leaves that question open.