| The Arts Of Kashmir At The Asia Society |
| Written by Dja Horry | |||
The Arts of KashmirOct. 3-Jan. 6, 2007Tuesday - Sunday, 11:00 am - 6:00 pm, with extended evening hours Fridays until 9:00 pm. Closed on Mondays and major holidays. Asia Society and Museum 725 Park Ave (at 70th Street) 212-517-ASIA Admission: $10; $7 for seniors and $5 for students with ID; children under 16: free Admission is free to all on Fridays from 6 pm to 9 pm asiasociety.org/visit/newyork.html  "Yusuf and Zuleikha meet in a garden (Yusuf va Zulaikha)"  "Buddha"  "Dancing mother goddess Indrani" The Arts of Kashmir comprises works of Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic art, including sculpture, painting, and calligraphy loaned from collections in the U.S., Europe, and India. Many of the objects have never been seen outside of India; in some cases they have never been exhibited or published anywhere. To provide a sense of the broad artistic contributions of this famously lush and beautiful region, the exhibition includes examples of stone and bronze sculptures and manuscript paintings, in addition to the fine examples of papier-mâché, carpets, shawls, and embroidery for which Kashmir is renowned. "The Arts of Kashmir exhibition aims to increase understanding of the historic artistic importance of the Kashmir Valley and the important role of the region in the development of intellectual life in South Asia," says Asia Society Museum Director Melissa Chiu. "Understanding Kashmiri cultural heritage is crucial for all of us in today's world, especially because it tends to be overly simplified in much of the current reportage on this disputed region." The Arts of Kashmir curator Dr. Pratapaditya Pal, the world's leading authority on the subject, comments that the exhibition "tells the story of generations of Kashmiris who excelled in producing art in a wide variety of media, not only the shawls that have become almost synonymous with Kashmir." The exhibition is organized chronologically, with works dating from Kashmir's beginnings as an important center for Hindu and Buddhist practice and philosophical development. One of the earliest pieces in the exhibition is a 4th-century terra-cotta tile depicting crouching ascetics and birds from Harwan, a site associated with Buddhism. Most surviving sculptures from ancient Kashmir were created to serve a religious purpose, for both Hindu and Buddhist patrons who included ministers, merchants, and monks. Beginning after the 7th century, a distinct Kashmiri style began to emerge, as evidenced by a spectacular, large-scale, limestone sculpture dated to the 7 th century of the Hindu goddess Indrani. This exceptional loan object from Srinagar has never been seen in the U.S. The distinctive features, elongated body, and typical Kashmiri dress reveala sophisticated level of artistic production and also point to a unique Kashmiri style. {mos_ri}
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