15 Aug The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama
The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama
Rubin Museum of Art (RMA) Hosts The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama
Exhibition runs through September 3, 2007
One of my favorite museums in NYC is running a fantastic exhibition currently. The Rubin Museum of Art is hosting The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama, an exhibition that reflects artists’ interpretations of the Dalai Lama. A popular, beloved figure, the Dalai Lama has evolved to represent a range of different meanings. This exhibition explores the Dalai Lama’s multiple roles and iconic status, and how his work and identity resonate with people everywhere.
Over 80 contemporary artists from around the world have created a work of art for the exhibition. The works are done in a range of media, from painting and sculpture to elaborate installations and video works. RMA’s core collection provides a historical context for the contemporary interpretations of the Dalai Lama represented by this exhibition. A selection of paintings and sculptures from the Museum’s collection, depicting the historical lineage of the Dalai Lama, are also included among the contemporary works of art in the exhibition.
The artists’ interpretations resonate with the great themes and ideals that the Dalai Lama embodies: the power of spirituality, the mystery of transcendence, universal interconnectedness, the need for peace. The exhibition begins with concrete concepts: the Dalai Lama’s appearance, religion, and homeland. It then circles outward into increasingly abstract and all-encompassing themes: human rights; compassion; the plight of people in exile; paths of transformation; universal responsibility; globalization; temporality; and impermanence.
A large part of RMA’s mission is to foster connections between the art of the Himalayas and visitors to the Museum. Including contemporary art and artists as a part of the fabric of the Museum is part of how RMA draws out and demonstrates the timelessness and universality of the themes Himalayan artists have been dealing with throughout history, which include love, death, hope, fear and struggle. The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama is situated within the rich historical context RMA is uniquely equipped to provide.
Additional works of art from The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama will be on view at the School of Visual Arts (SVA), Visual Arts Gallery, 601 West 26th Street, 15th Floor through August 22nd.
Please visit www.sva.edu for full details.
Visit www.rmanyc.org for further information and updates on related programs and special events.