In the divination ritual, the divination bowl contained sixteen palm nuts which were thrown onto the ground by the diviner. The patterns formed by the nuts were classified into 4,056 designs that were identified and used by the diviner to foretell of things to come.

Mudfish connect the columns of this divination bowl. Mudfish are unique creatures, living in the water but able to survive on land. That mudfish can transition from the worlds of sea and land makes them a metaphor for the diviner who can transition from the land of everyday experience to the spirit world.

Provenance:
Pace Gallery, New York, 1993