Mandala #12 is from a series of paintings by Atlanta-based artist Caomin Xie titled Mandala of Ruins, which presents the artist’s interpretation of Buddhist ideas in the form of a mandala, a symbol representing the universe. Xie appropriates images from the Internet and from print media and transforms them into visual signs that speak to dualities in Buddhist philosophy, such as destruction and creation, absence and presence, plenitude and emptiness. Mandala #12 transforms horrible images depicting the ruins of the World Trade Center into a kaleidoscopic symbol of spiritual healing, meditation, and renewal.