Oneness – Artist Statement
Sonam Dolma

During my residency in Charleston, I would like to invite people from the local community to join me in creating the installation Oneness.

The theme of Oneness feels especially important to me today, as our world is in a state of deep instability. Millions of people are forced to leave their homelands. For me, displacement is not an abstract reality – it is part of my own life story. I was forced to leave my home when I was six years old. I know what loss means. During our flight, I lost my father and my younger sister.

The central element of my work is a tsa-tsa mold that my parents carried with them throughout the entire journey of escape. This mold tells my story, the story of my family, and the story of my origin. It is memory, protection, prayer, and testimony at the same time.

With Oneness, I wish to create a collective call for peace together with others. We are only visitors on this earth. We are not here forever. In the end, we all become ash. What remains is our interconnectedness.

The installation consists of three elements: At the center lies wood ash – a symbol of impermanence. Surrounding the ash are the tsa-tsa, shaped together with members of the community. These are then encircled by worn clothing donated by the participants – traces of bodies, lives, and stories. In this way, a circle is formed of ash, memory, touch, and humanity. A silent collective prayer for Oneness.