Divine Affection: Enchanting Images of Hindu Deities

Finished

Hinduism's many deities are manifested in stone, metal, earthenware, pottery, and other standing images, masks, paintings, printed matter, tiles, embroidery, picture books, comics, postage stamps, stickers, and many other objects. These images of deities have been an important medium for people to interact with deities through the five senses.

This special exhibition focuses on various forms of interaction between gods and people based on this "love for the gods. Specifically, the exhibition will display iconographic images representing myths of deities that are particularly popular in contemporary India, as well as materials that show how the deities are approached (individual decorations of the deities, ritual implements that demonstrate physical senses, and video and photographic images of actual rituals). Through them, the polytheistic Hindu world and the deities that appear in it, with their combined weaknesses and desires, will be introduced.

These images of deities were created not only in India and Nepal, but also in Japan and Europe, and were used in the Hindu world. This special exhibition will also include statues of deities made outside of South Asia and will introduce some aspects of the global distribution of objects related to religious beliefs.

Schedule

Sep 14 (Thu) 2023-Dec 5 (Tue) 2023