शुक्रवार, 26 जून 2015

Classical Meets Contemporary In Unique Yoga Art Exhibition

·        National Museum biggest contributor for 'Yoga Chakra' at Lalit Kala Akademi


New Delhi, June 25: A man sits with his legs stretched out and hands folded in a gesture of reverence. It is an image that could easily fit the description of a participant of the International Yoga Day across the world, only it is from five millennia ago. The terracota object from the Harappa civilization, between 2700 BC and 2100 BC, is a main attraction at an ongoing exhibition on yoga in the national capital.

Disembodied Jina (Ashariri Siddha), the shape of the
released spirit which has attained perfection
'The Seated Man in Namaskar Mudra' is part of the nearly 400 works in the 'Yoga Chakra: Tradition and Modernity' exhibition at the Rabindra Bhavan in New Delhi. A journey through centuries of artistic expression and diverse interpretation on the traditional culture of yoga, the exhibition has 41 works from the National Museum collection.

The replica of the famous 'Dancing Girl' bronze statue of a girl with one hand resting on her hip, from the Mohenjodaro period 4,500 years ago is another huge draw of the exhibition, organised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, in which the National Museum is the biggest contributor.

"Yoga not only harmonizes our body, mind and heart but also has the potential to make the entire universe live in harmony," said Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, in his message to the exhibition, which was inaugurated on June 21 by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism and Culture and Minister of State for Civil Aviation Dr Mahesh Sharma. "Thus, it has the unique potential of transforming diverse and conflicting societies of tbe world into beautifully aligned ones," the Prime Minister further wrote in his message.

The exhibition at the Lalit Kala Akademi galleries in Rabinra Bhavan also has a 12th century bronze statue of Buddha cross legged with hands in the gesture of meditation and a stone Pashupati seal from Mohenjodaro civilization, believed to be 4500 years old.
Khadau

"The Pashupati seal, depicting Lord Shiva, is the earliest evidence of a yogic posture," said Sushma K Bahl, who has co-curated the exhibition with Archana B Sapra. "The classical artifacts helped us link the past with the present," Smt Behl added.

"The objects from Mohenjodaro and Harappa period and from other parts and periods of our civilization represent only a small portion of the classical collection of the National Museum linked to yogic traditions," said Shri K K Sharma, Deputy Curator of the National Museum and coordinator of the Yoga Chakra exhibition.

"The classical collection comprises of all kinds of media, including painting, sculpture and manuscript," Shri Sharma added.
Seated Male in Namaskar Mudra & Seated Male in Yoga Mudra

In its three thematic sections under 'Gyana', 'Dhyana' and 'Karma', and five sub-sections, the exhibition takes a deep look at how in India traditions have evolved over the centuries and also how historical and classical art continue to impact creativity.

Also the among the classical works is the 19th century Yoga Sutra from Kashmir, which is a collection of manuscripts based on the 196 sutras of sage Patanjali that constitute the foundations of ashtanga yoga. There is also a 19th century 'Bindu concentric circle' in wood depicting the machine, carved with concentric circles on a flat round base, used by yogis for meditation,

Yoga Narayana Vishnu
In one of the biggest public-private collaborations in art exhibitions, the exhibition has sourced works from 14 other collaborators besides the National Museum. One of the other major partners is the Museum of Sacred Art in Brussels, Belgium.

Among the classical works are an 11th century crowned Buddha statue in bronze and a terracotta clay tablet with Buddha's representstion, believed to be from 9th or 10th century. "You can't talk about yoga without mentioning Lord Buddha and Lord Mahavir," said Smt. Behl, who took three months to prepare the week-long exhibition. "The classical works of the National Museum gave us a base on which we felt confident to go ahead and put together the exhibition," she added.

Among the contemporary artists are S H Raza, who exhibits his 2013 work, 'Prem Bindu'. The exhibition also includes video and digital works.

The exhibition concludes on June 27.

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