The Pacific Asia Museum presents "Wooden Wonders from Tibet: Tibetan Furniture in the Context of Secular and Religious Life," an exhibition on view from November 13, 2004 – February 13, 2005. Opening reception is November 11, 2004.

The first of its kind, this exhibition of Tibetan furniture will include rare examples of Tibetan chests, book stands, rugs and other furnishings used in Buddhist temples and monasteries. Many of the wooden furnishings are decorated with painted Buddhist imagery or floral and other secular designs, while others feature fine carved details. The furniture will be chosen primarily from collections in California.

This major exhibition will explore how traditional furniture as used in the domestic sphere and religious institutions of Tibet reflects the evolving lifestyles, traditions and beliefs of the Tibetan people. Many of the furnishings of a traditional Tibetan home or monastery have both a practical and a symbolic or protective function. The forms and functions of furniture such as trunks, altar tables and storage cabinets, and their decoration, including Buddhist symbols and Buddhist protective deities, inform us about the people of Tibet over the last 800 years. Often, furniture was a vehicle to gain merit, whether it was given as offerings to monasteries, or used to make offerings to various deities in the Tibetan pantheon.

The first exhibition of its kind, Wooden Wonders from Tibet will feature over 150 objects, illustrating the rich variety of traditional Tibetan furniture types from both the secular and religious realms, and from various regions of Tibet. In addition, it will address the materials and construction techniques used to create the furniture and the decorative symbols and motifs on them. Attention will also be given to the decorative influences on the furniture of textiles from India, Nepal, China, and other Asian cultures. Connections between furniture painting, tangka painting and mural painting will also be briefly explored. Institutions such as LACMA, Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for the Visual Arts (Stanford) and the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art (New York) will be involved through loans of furniture and thangka paintings.

Pacific Asia Museum staff are currently in exploratory conversations with several museums, in the Southwest and on the East coast, which have evinced interest in the possibility of hosting the exhbition.

David Kamansky, Director Emeritus, will curate the exhibition along with Assistant Curator Bridget Bray, MA Tibetan Studies, University of Washington, and extensive advice from other scholars.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a major publication. Eleven scholars have been selected to publish papers and all pieces in the exhibition will be illustrated. The catalogue is being published by Serindia, specializing in fine arts books on Himalayan arts and culture.

*                    *                    *

To keep up with Asia-related events in Southern California, visit the calendar section of the Asia Institute website.  If you would like to receive a weekly email newsletter listing Asia-focused events, please send your name and email address to asia@international.ucla.edu.

Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm; Friday: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

Cost : Museum admission: $7 adults, $5 students and seniors

www.pacificasiamuseum.org

Sponsor(s): Pacific Asia Museum