Resources

Students explore the characters and themes in the Story of Rama, making connections between the epic and their lives today.

Trace the spread of Buddhism through close looking at Buddhist objects from different regions. Explore how artifacts reveal distinct local traditions as well as common ideas and motifs.

Lesson on the individual rituals performed by Muslim pilgrims during the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Learn about the main events and conflicts in the Rama epic.

Why is the epic of Rama a beloved tale in many cultures across South and Southeast Asia? Explore how this story and its characters has remained significant in the lives of millions even today.

Heman Chong imagines a future of dystopian stillness with Calendars (2020–2096), an installation of 1001 photos, each a calendar page capturing a moment of complete emptiness in today’s bustling areas of Singapore. View this work for yourself at the Asian Art Museum during the exhibition, Phantoms of Asia: Contemporary Awakens the Past (on view from May 18–September 2, 2012).

Asian Art Museum Storyteller Amit Pendyal tells a scene from the Rama epic (Ramayana) with the use of artworks in the museum’s collection. Discover more fresh takes on this ageless tale in the exhibition, The Rama Epic: Hero, Heroine, Ally, Foe.

Paul Hoover reads a poem he wrote in response to the works “Anonymity,” 2008-2011 (eight from a series of nine light boxes) by Poklong Anading and Chinese bronze mirrors (from the Asian Art Museum’s collection). These works are on view as part of the exhibition Phantoms of Asia: Contemporary Awakens the Past (on view at the Asian Art Museum from May 18–September 2, 2012). This presentation was part of MATCHA. Co-presented with Litquake.

Learn about how people in Bali approach the story of Rama and see how to facilitate different forms of Balinese kecak with Gamelan Sekar Jaya and teachers at the Asian Art Museum.

In his most recent work, Indonesian artist Jompet Kuswidananto explores political and cultural identity, particularly around the people and history of Java. Informed by theories drawn from the field of cultural studies, he connects local history to global movements with a focus on the fragility of changing identities.