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In the Buddhist tradition, mandalas are devotional images that represent the universe, their precise geometry and motifs depicting holy realms and a sense of order through symbolic references to the elements and astrology. Tibetan Buddhist monks painstakingly create colorful sand renditions as part of their mindfulness practice. Once complete, the pieces are ritualistically destroyed—the sand is customarily returned to moving water—to illustrate the impermanence and transience of life and the cosmos.
For artist Mu Pan, the mandala inspires the foundation of a series of vivid works on paper. In his current solo exhibition, Micro MUniverse at Hashimoto Contemporary, the Brooklyn-based artist composes explosive, eccentric, narrative scenes rendered at what the gallery describes as “a molecular level.”
“18 Angels” (2026), acrylic on paper, 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches
The collection draws on a Chinese Buddhist adage that a single cup of water contains countless lifeforms, and for that reason, care must be taken in consuming it. Mu delves into a world of fantasy and symmetry, where animals, humans, and plants converge and hybridize in surreal configurations. Some become nearly abstract; others are uncanny, even slightly grotesque. The figures are at turns ecstatic, devious, and serene: black-winged skeletons meet sublime beings in “18 Angels,” and a dramatic scene of woodland creatures divinely erupts in “Burning Rabbit.”
Many of the works are less than a foot wide, with the exception of one painting on panel called “4 Brutes” that’s two feet across. Line, form, and expressions are therefore composed in incredible detail. The artist says, “I want to focus on the concept of being small, because whatever is small actually contains way more than it appears. Therefore, each small image is like a drop of blood, and each drop of blood contains multiple universes.”
Micro MUniverse continues through October 10 in New York City. See more on the artist’s Instagram.
“Burning Rabbit” (2026), acrylic on paper, 7 3/4 x 7 inches
“4 Brutes” (2026), acrylic on wood panel, 20 x 24 inches
“Deer” (2026), acrylic on paper, 15 x 10 3/4 inches
“Purple Weasel” (2026, acrylic on paper, 15 x 11 inches
“Green” (2026), acrylic on paper, 14 3/4 x 14 3/4 inches
“Bear” (2026), acrylic on paper, 15 x 13 inches
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