Description: Structured like a pulpit, this stair-like piece is adorned with prayer beads, coins, and a descending chain — culminating in a horned, devilish figure. It symbolizes how religious power can become a vehicle of deception. The beads no longer bring peace; the coins are bound, and the pulpit is no longer sacred. ‘On the Steps of Deceit’ invites the viewer to question sanctified authority and see the concealed threads of control beneath revered symbols.
At first glance, the work resembles a staircase — or more precisely, a pulpit. Yet, this familiar form is quickly subverted by its disturbing companions: a hanging chain, prayer beads bordering the steps, rows of coins, and most striking of all, a horned, devil-like figure presiding at the top.
Sacred Structure, Profane Purpose
The piece suggests a religious space, but not one of enlightenment.
Each stair, rather than elevating the spirit, seems to weigh it down.
The prayer beads, traditionally symbols of reflection and peace, now trace the outline of domination.
The coins, linked together, signal how economy and belief can intertwine — not to uplift, but to bind.
The chain, stretching top to bottom, evokes unbroken submission.
The Devil on the Pulpit
The horned creature at the summit is a sharp, unsettling inversion.
Where one expects moral leadership, there is manipulation.
Where truth should reign, distortion takes its place.
This is not an attack on faith itself, but on those who exploit it, using ritual, fear, and sacred imagery as tools of control.
A Sculptural Outcry
“Step by Step Toward the Encounter with Oppression” is not a silent piece.
It accuses, questions, and reminds.
It confronts viewers with a stark truth: the highest platforms are not always the most righteous.
Sometimes, they are merely better decorated thrones for deception.
