South Asia

Farnoosh Fathi reads a poem she wrote in response to the artwork, “Untitled 1 (Peacock with Missiles),” 2010 by Adeela Suleman. This work is in the exhibition Phantoms of Asia: Contemporary Awakens the Past (on view at the Asian Art Museum from May 18–September 2, 2012). For more information: This presentation was part of MATCHA.

Yoga is traditionally associated with ancient schools of Hindu philosophy, in which one attains peace and salvation as the mind, body and spirit unite. Indian classical dance has its own journey that defines a unique path for individuals to attain liberation. The dancers Navia Natarajan (Bharatanatyam) and Niharika Mohanty (Odissi) will demonstrate the benefits of dance and yoga practice, bringing their individualistic styles together while incorporating yoga postures (asanas) and the extension of breath (pranayama).

Witness the revolutionary dance technique of Kathak yoga created by Pandit Chitresh Das. Kathak yoga combines innovation within tradition. The dancers (Antara Bhardwaj and Rachna Nivas) perform rhythmic composition through footwork and other movement while simultaneously reciting the underlying rhythmic structure (theka), singing the corresponding melody (lehara), and playing the tabla, harmonium or finger cymbals (manjira).

A Maharaja’s magnificent silver and enamel carriage is hoisted into the Asian Art Museum through the large rear windows of the building via crane, and then carefully uncrated and installed for the upcoming Maharaja exhibition. Time lapse video compresses approximately two full days of work into less than two minutes. This carriage was on view during the exhibition, Maharaja: The Splendor of India’s Royal Courts (October 21, 2011–April 8, 2012).

Artist Joanna Swan discusses India and her work during the during the PechaKucha Night at the Asian Art Museum.

The Hindu deity Vishnu, 1100–1200. India or Bangladesh; northern Bengal. Phyllite. The Avery Brundage Collection, B62S4+.

New Delhi-based artist Jagannath Panda lives in the burgeoning city of Gurgaon, which is one of India’s major outsourcing hubs and bases of operation for global corporations. His works illustrate the city’s tensions, as overdevelopment threatens natural habitats and infrastructures collapse before they are completed. Panda’s mix of mythology and realism points to the evolving nature of Indian identity and experience today.

Students will research objects from the Asian Art Museum’s collection and choose one that they think will earn the most money in the marketplace. Then, they will create a commercial to try to sell their object to the class using evidence as to why the object/idea was considered valuable at the time.

Students are introduced to the Ramayana (Story of Rama) and recall events by sequencing related art objects on a Story Hill. Then students make connections between artistic and literary depictions of character by comparing Vishnu and Ravana.