Artist: Yuri Elperin

Something is Nothing and Nothing is Something

有即无, 无即有

Medium: sculpture/mixed media

23 carat gold leaf, oil, acrylic, wood, sand, rice paper with calligraphy by Li Ning, roots, marine plants on canvas and mount on wood panel.

48 x 72 x 5 inches

2025

"Something is nothing and nothing is something" is a philosophical paradox suggesting that pure nothingness cannot exist, as its very conception makes it a 'something', and that 'something' contains the potential for 'nothing' within its context, blurring the absolute distinction between existence and non-existence. It implies a deep interdependence between being and non-being, where the presence of one inherently defines and even creates the other.