Beeld

In 1996, the Chinese Buddhist statue Zhanggong was acquired by a Dutch collector. A mummy of a monk, who had died 1,000 years ago, was discovered inside. Following this discovery, the statue began its journey of being examined in a hospital, exhibited in museums, and stored at the collector’s repository. Throughout the journey, the statue was perceived as a mummy, a work of art, a commodity, and a Buddha. A few years later, in Tampa, Florida, people gathered in front of a finance building to pray to a mysterious image of the Virgin Mary that appeared on the steamy window of the building. How does an image become an icon?