midnight sutra 2015. Digital painting. Size variable

The underlying image is my photo of a piece in the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection which is currently on view as part of the China: Through the Looking Glass exhibition. There is no "midnight sutra" as far as I know, although an internet search revealed a restaurant by that name in New Zealand. The face is intriguing to me because it seems to be smiling even though the corners of the mouth are downturned. The figure seems to be saying, "there is definitely something I could tell you, but the best way to do so is to remain silent."