THE WOOD KAPALA.

Marküzō reinterprets the kapala, the ritual skull cup of Tibetan Buddhist tradition, where a human skull becomes a vessel for offerings and a reminder of impermanence. Carried by wrathful protectors, the kapala represents the transformation of death, ego, and attachment into wisdom.

In this artwork, the wide, polished eyes hold a steady gaze that asks the viewer to face mortality directly, and the bared teeth confront what most people spend their lives avoiding. The flames and scrolling forms rising across the brow turn the skull into a crown of ornament, reflecting the Tibetan teaching that looking clearly at death is the path to liberation.

Constructed from almost one hundred layered pieces of reclaimed, ethically sourced Balinese wood, held together and preserved in epoxy, the work brings a sacred ritual object into a contemporary context. Some layers keep the natural colour of the wood while others have been burnt, placing life and death side by side within a single form. 

The charred layers recall the cremation grounds where kapalas were traditionally gathered, and the fire that reduces the body to ash, while the untouched grain carries the warmth of the living. Together, they hold the kapala's central teaching that life and death are inseparable parts of the same cycle.

Because this work draws directly from Tibetan Buddhist cultural and spiritual symbolism, 5% of proceeds will be donated to Direct Relief in support of communities affected by the August 2026 floods along the Nepal–Tibet border, where many families share the Tibetan Buddhist traditions this work draws on. Direct Relief funds local Nepali medical teams delivering emergency care and supplies to villages cut off by the flooding.