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| Durga, Central India, 11th century (Linking Asia" exhibit) |
There is nothing like having a world-class institution like the Denver Art Museum (DAM) close to home. This is more than a biased assessment from a relatively new transplant who continues to fall in love with Colorado and all that it has to offer.
I've visited some of the preeminent art exhibits and museums in North America, including the National Gallery of Art (Washington D.C.), the Royal B.C. Museum (Victoria, B.C.), the Seattle Art Museum, NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Getty, the Art Institute of Chicago, among others. Beyond an impressive collection showcasing European and American masters of paintings and sculptures, DAM excels in exhibits that tie the diversity of arts and cultures throughout the world. Hat tip to curators who take seriously the important charge of creating relevant experiences that speak to and for people from all backgrounds.
I've always admired the museum's extensive collection of indigenous pre-Columbian North American arts and crafts. The museum also boasts notable pieces of American Indian and Spanish colonial art. Over the past couple of years, DAM introduced a number of significant exhibits that highlight the richness of humanity's creative works that touch and bind our experiences in the spiritual, political, civic, and even economic realms.
On view through October 2018 is "Ganesha: The Playfyul Protector." The centerpiece of the exhibition is a 7th-century statue of Ganesha that is on loan from the National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh. The cross-legged figure of the elephant-headed Hindu deity is one of the earliest Ganesha icons in mainland Southeast Asia.
The exhibit "Linking Asia: Art, Trade and Devotion" showcases how trade routes between China, India and all points in between have created the interweaving and intermingling of various traditions, philosophies and belief systems over the course of 2,000 years. Textiles, calligraphy, sculptures, and ceramics depict the influences of Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism on the development of cultural identities that have survived 500 years of colonization and modernity.
My home country, the Philippines, has been at the crossroads of Pacific trade routes for centuries. Before Spanish colonization and the advent of Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam all have taken root in my people's spiritual consciousness.
The interconnectedness of Asian Pacific cultures is evidence of the role of "soft power" in wielding influence through mutual and equal exchange. Despite the onslaught of Spanish colonization and American imperialism, the influences of our Asian trade partners persist in Filipino culture, and this is accomplished without the necessity of military prowess.
I was particularly drawn to large calligraphy screens by Takugen Sosho from the Edo period of Japan, depicting three Zen couplets. "Linking Asia" is on view through April 2018.
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| Ganesha, on loan from National Museum of Cambodia |
The exhibit "Linking Asia: Art, Trade and Devotion" showcases how trade routes between China, India and all points in between have created the interweaving and intermingling of various traditions, philosophies and belief systems over the course of 2,000 years. Textiles, calligraphy, sculptures, and ceramics depict the influences of Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism on the development of cultural identities that have survived 500 years of colonization and modernity.
My home country, the Philippines, has been at the crossroads of Pacific trade routes for centuries. Before Spanish colonization and the advent of Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam all have taken root in my people's spiritual consciousness.
The interconnectedness of Asian Pacific cultures is evidence of the role of "soft power" in wielding influence through mutual and equal exchange. Despite the onslaught of Spanish colonization and American imperialism, the influences of our Asian trade partners persist in Filipino culture, and this is accomplished without the necessity of military prowess.
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| Takugen Sosho's screen with couplets - Ink on silk with gold leaf |
I was particularly drawn to large calligraphy screens by Takugen Sosho from the Edo period of Japan, depicting three Zen couplets. "Linking Asia" is on view through April 2018.
What a good glass cup!
Don'tconceal your voice when you meet someone.
Everyone has a life destiny
Since the beginning, crime can be monstrous.
If one does not pull the plow or rake,
Then he must oil-fry food with a cauldron.
Join DAM on first Saturdays, when the museum offers free admission to all. Learn more about current exhibitions and upcoming special events by visiting the DAM website.