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.

“有即无，无即有”是一个哲学悖论，它暗示纯粹的虚无不可能存在，因为虚无的概念本身就使其成为一种“有”，而这种“有”在其语境中又蕴含着“无”的可能性，模糊了存在与不存在之间的绝对界限。它暗示着存在与非存在之间深刻的相互依存关系，其中一方的存在本身就定义甚至创造了另一方。