I went to the supermarket and purchased eight products. If you read the second word of each product on the shopping receipt from top to bottom, you get the following (in Chinese): …whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

The artist thought that we cannot fully prove the existence or non-existence of God with rationality and logic, so he tried to do it in the opposite way. With the use of irrational, illogical and random methods, the artist raised the question:

How many “miracles” have been caused by humans?

On 13 November 2003, the artist went to the CRC supermarket near Garden Rivera in Shatin and purchased eight products. He arranged the sequence of the products for the shopkeeper to scan the barcodes so that when we read the second word of each product on the shopping receipt from top to bottom, we get the following (in Chinese): …whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

The media of the artwork included the actions, words, photos and shopping receipt.

The artist arranged the sequence of the products to be scanned by the cashier so that the second words of the scanned products would form a meaningful phrase. 

The artist’s manipulation behind the mechanical process presents a question regarding religion: whereas things may seem to be part of God’s arrangement, very often, they have been arranged by humans. The artist expressed his doubt about religion through the artwork.

What is/are the form(s) of artistic expression?

How is it different from traditional artworks (such as paintings and sculptures)?

What do you think is the message behind the artwork?

How would you describe the artist’s creative process?

What do you think about Pak’s conceptual art?

Standards for Appreciation and discussion