Ardha Matsyendra in marble

For the exhibition at Kunst en Kastelen (Art and Castles) I also carved a statue in white marble: Ardha Matsyendra. It's a lady in a Hatha yoga posture, the Ardha-Matsyendrasana ie the half King of the Fish Pose. The sculpture is approximately 70 cms tall (and very heavy, as I noticed when installing it at Castle Gronsveld!)

The theme of this work is in line with Somnia and Mermaid; it is part of the series Asleep-Arise-Awake-And Stop Not Till The Goal Is Reached. In this case the lady is attempting to wake up, so that would be the theme Arise . And by waking up of course is meant a spiritual awakening, Hence Arise comes before Awake.

Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached (Get up, awaken, and stop not before you reach the goal) is the famous call of Swami Vivekananda, with which he called on his audience to get out of the lethargic state, numbed by everything coming at us that's going on in the world of sensations . This requires a conscious effort on a well defined path. And that's exactly what yoga is: not a few difficult postures on a Monday evening, but any well-defined path that leads to self-realization. But that's another story.