Artist: Hua Jia Ruirui (Chen Jinrui)
“I’m not photographing Buddhism. I’m capturing Buddha-nature—what lives quietly inside each of us.”
A meditation in shadows and light, Paying Homage to the Inner Buddha invites visitors to step into a poetic space where time dissolves and images breathe. Photographer Hua Jia Ruirui spent months immersed in temple life in southern China, capturing monks in daily rituals—chanting sutras, walking in silence, merging with the natural light.
Displayed on layered translucent fabric, each image is projected with precision and reverence. The Avery Museum team orchestrates the space with soft lighting, reflective silk, and high-lumen mapping that turns the gallery into a temple of quiet seeing.
“The stillness, the flow, the light—these are not aesthetics but energy.”
For Ruirui, the post-production process is not editing, but a spiritual practice: a way to translate inner stillness into visual form. Influenced by Zen philosophy and the writings of Osho, his work transcends photography—offering viewers a place to pause and observe, without judgment.
Black and white, with a hint of sacred yellow, forms his palette of choice. “Color is often too loud,” he explains. “Monochrome shows the essence.”
About the Artist
Hua Jia Ruirui (b. 1988, Chaozhou) is an independent photographer known for his ethereal, contemplative visual language. His notable series include Homage to Buddha, Silent Shadows, and Asking Stillness. He approaches photography as a spiritual path—each shot, a glimpse of inner light.
Now on view at the Avery Museum.
Exhibition runs through August 31.
