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CLEANING THE SOUL
2014
YUAN ART MUSEUM, BEIJING, CHINA
3,50 X 6 METER
MIXED MEDIA

The artwork “Cleaning the Soul” made by Hans Mes, a sculptor from Holland, reflects the meaning that humans seek to free their soul from guilt or escape some bad judgment in front of their god or belief. Some even try to be a martyr as they believe that this is the key to paradise. To express this meaning Hans Mes took 6 T-shirts with blood stains on them at the place of the heart. On the floor is a wide circle where washing powder is spread. The T-shirts are hung in a mobile balance to show the floating of the souls through space. Hans Mes says: “When we die we will lose everything, including any religion. We cannot enter heaven or avoid hell by sudden devotion to clean our soul. Some religions try to increase the feeling of guilt to make followers obey their guiding rules. But the soul is free; the soul cannot be manipulated. There is no choice in how we die and what will happen. Religions try to make us believe that killing each other could clean the soul.”