This image was found an a billboard attached to a small outbuilding in a roadside park in Bao’an. Initially, the portrait mixed with the reflection attracted me to the image. I later discovered that the man is some kind of minister associated with fire and safety. He appears on metro posters accompanied by slogans such as, “Fire exits. Life exits. Please keep clear.” His hand gesture became important once I began looking at the image more closely.
Among the various Buddhist mudras, a palm held facing upward signifies teaching, protection, and reassurance. This seeming appropriation of a visual signifier associated with Buddhism may have been unconscious or accidental, but I suspect otherwise. With no contextual information, the image changes from propaganda to something like a modern Buddhist icon, the background reflection suggestive of Chinese ink brush paintings.
Edward Lewis 