The Paradox of Joy: A Bhutanese Tradition

Bhutan is widely known as the happiest country and when asked about what the source of this eternal joy is, the answer is death. In Bhutanese culture thinking about death multiple times a day provides a sense of relief, acknowledging the transience of life. Coincedentially, the national flower of Bhutan, the Himalayan Blue Poppy is in parallel with their paradox of an ideology. Poppies in particular represent this quality of death and life, sorrow and joy, both coexisting together, not only in the western world where they symbolize the war and the death of veterans yet also the gratitude one must feel for them and indulging in remembrance, but also in the East. IN eastern cultures such as Japan, the Himalayan Blue Poppy Flower is often associated with tranquility and peace, yet also with death and mourning particularly in funerals, representing the souls of those that have passed. This artwork aims to represents this theme by indicating a rebirth, a renaissance of wild poppies blooming from a grave, perhaps providing a change in perspective about death. The visual ambiance surrounding the poppies is set to be a vibrant and serene Bhutan, that compliments the authentic meaning.