Chinese Artist B. Nomin Uses Traditional Buddhist Aesthetics to Evaluate Current Norms

THE UB POST
Trans. by L.NANDINTSETSEG

"Ersdel Daguulsan Togloom (Naughty Game)" by B.Nomin

CHINA---Mongolia’s leading contemporary art hub, 976 Art Gallery, moved to Best Western Premier Tuushin Hotel, and opened with solo shows from emerging talents B.Nomin and B.Baatarzorig. The exhibitions are on view through August 14. Nomin was trained in traditional painting methods at the Fine Arts School of the Mongolian University of Arts and Culture. She uses the aesthetics of Mongolian and Buddhist art, commissioned by ancient religious and imperial institutions, to comment on contemporary issues, examining the themes of wealth, politics, nature, and human relationships. Nomin’s goal is to displace current conventions and encourage viewers to evaluate cultural norms from the point of view of Mongolia’s ancient history. [link]

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Goryeo Buddhist Paintings Are 'Resting Place' by Ven. Hyedam

KOREA TIMES

"Water, Moon Gwaneum" by Ven. Hyedam. Courtesy of KyeTae Temple

KOREA---She's not one to count how many hours she spends re-creating Goryeo Buddhist paintings, because for her, it is a way of practicing Zen. But Ven. Hyedam, 63, who, for more than four decades, usually spends 16 to 18 hours a day on such paintings, thinks it comes down to some 200,000 hours. Since she was a child, Ven. Hyedam has been enraptured by Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) Buddhist paintings. She will show her work based on the paintings at her special exhibition at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, which will run from Dec. 9 through Dec. 15. [link]

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In Pictures: China's Yellow River by Kechun Zhang

THE TELEGRAPH

Buddha in a coal depot, Ningxia Province, 2011

CHINA---Chinese photographer Kechun Zhang has won the prestigious Discovery Award at this year's Rencontres d'Arles for his series 'The Yellow River.' He was chosen by photography professionals and press at the opening week of the festival from a group of ten shortlisted artists, and receives 25,000 euros in prize money.His work is on show at the Parc des Ateliers, Arles until 31st August 2014. [link]

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A New Generation of Chinese Art Visits Tampa and St. Petersburg

BURNAWAY
By Lilly Wei

Lu Yang, Wrathful King Kong Core, 2011, still from video animation.

FLORIDA---“My Generation,” critic, writer, curator and journalist Barbara Pollack’s expansive exhibition at the Tampa Museum of Art and the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts (through September 28) salutes the next wave of contemporary Chinese artists, the post-Mao, post-Cultural Revolution generation, all born after 1976 and too young to be part of the tragic Tiananmen Square protests. As China rapidly moved from an agrarian to a modern industrial society in the ’70s, startling changes took place that once again, radically altered Chinese lives. The exhibition emphasizes how much these artists’ attitudes differ from their predecessors (among the first to garner international acclaim). [link]

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Drawing The Offerings Of The Five Senses: Tibetan Buddhist Art Workshop With Carmen Mensink

USC-US CHINA INSTITUTE

After becoming a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism, Carmen Mensink
got hooked by the ancient tradition and craft of Tibetan thangka painting.

CALIFORNIA---The Offerings of the Five Senses are the “entrance” of a thangka, as these offerings are depicted in front of the Buddha: a mirror (to see); a musical instrument (to hear); incense or perfume (to smell); some fruit (to taste) and a silken scarf (to touch). Thangkas are scroll paintings of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition that illuminate the teachings of enlightened beings and serve as an aid to spiritual development.  They overflow with symbolism and contain figures created in harmony with the guidelines of Buddhist scriptures. [link]

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Artists from Japan, South Korea Team up for Buddhist Statue Exhibition in Nara

THE ASHAHI SHIMBUN
By Kazuto Tsulamoto

A Miroku-bosatsu Buddhist statue is surrounded by toy deer
in the Nara Prefectural Museum of Art in Nara. (Kazuto Tsukamoto)

JAPAN---A Japanese artist and his South Korean counterpart have joined forces to show how Buddhist culture was brought to Japan through the Korean Peninsula with a special exhibition featuring “Miroku-bosatsu” Buddhist statues. The work of 53-year-old sculptor Takashi Kikuchi and artist Park Dong-ki, 47, is currently on display at the Nara Prefectural Museum of Art. The statues are part of the special exhibition, “Beauty on the Edge--Contemporary Art Nara,” which will continue in the museum until July 21.[link]

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Travel: An Edification Vacation in Chautauqua, NY

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Lisa Schwarzbaum

John Shelby Spong, retired Episcopal bishop of Newark, lectures at the Chautauqua Institution.

NEW YORK---A week at Chautauqua is a microcosm of what we can make of our lives, if only we remember to slow down and pay attention. For nine weeks every summer, the 750-acre campus is a cheery, low-keyed welter of lectures, classes, concerts, theater, dance performances and art exhibitions. It’s a place — far from Westchester — in which I spent a happy week last month, drawn to a hidden utopia that has, over the years, welcomed Mark Twain and William Jennings Bryan, Franklin Roosevelt and Sandra Day O’Connor. Opportunities for spiritual uplift continue to figure prominently on the daily agenda, with services conducted every morning. But the extended denominational menu now includes Roman Catholic, Unitarian, Christian Science, Quaker, Jewish and Zen Buddhist gatherings, and Friday Muslim prayer. [link]

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Book Review: "In Search of the Christian Buddha: How an Asian Sage Became a Medieval Saint"

BUDDHADHARMA
By Annabella Pitkin

PUBLISHING---Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a king who wished for his son to succeed him on the throne. Despite his father’s resistance, the prince renounced the royal life and, after much self-cultivation, became a great and holy individual who benefited many people. To most Buddhists, this broad outline is instantly recognizable as a retelling of the life of Shakyamuni Buddha. How startled we might be, then, to hear that the brief sketch above is the story of a Christian saint whose obstinate father is a pagan idolator (or in some versions, a Muslim). Such is the argument of "In Search of the Christian Buddha," a new book by Donald Lopez and Peggy McCracken. [link]

Saint Barlaam Teaching Josaphat Detail from illuminated manuscript, France, 1463

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Raelian Swastika Campaign Calculated to Stoke Controversy

RELIGION DISPATCHES

History of the Swastika in world religions

ARIZONA---This weekend a plane flew over Coney Island and the Rockaways towing a banner with a swastika and an ad for proswastika.org, a new initiative by the Raelians—a religious movement that believes humans were created by ancient extra-terrestrials, and whose insignia is a swastika inside of a hexagram. According to Raelian spokesperson Thomas Kaenzig, the swastika was brought to Earth millions of years ago by our alien forefathers, which is presumably why Raelians believe the symbol appears in cultures all over the world. This weekend marked the end of “International Swastika Rehabilitation Week,” part of an attempt to reclaim the symbol from its Nazi associations which also featured street activism in Las Vegas. [link]

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Conceptual Artist Nina Yankowitz Plays Word Games With Sacred Texts

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Joyce Beckenstein

A mannequin styled as a priest, one of five “robotic devotees” in the exhibit.

NEW YORK---The artist Nina Yankowitz is known for projecting words in glass houses, and oh how they can shatter the place. For “Criss-Crossing the Divine,” her current exhibition at Guild Hall in East Hampton, she takes on sacred texts. “Criss-Crossing the Divine” combines scriptures, digital games, video art, three-dimensional animation and robotic avatars. Examining intolerance through the lens of five major religions — Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism — the lively, intuitive piece provides visitors with a different way to experience art, despite its rather serious implications. [link]

Nina Yankowitz: “Criss-Crossing the Divine” is at Guild Hall, 158 Main Street, East Hampton, through July 27. Information: guildhall.org or (631) 324-0806.

In addition to a priest, mannequins depicting a Jew, a Buddhist, a Hindu and a Muslim greet visitors.

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Famed Jewish Composer's Hilltop Home Comes With a Surprise Buddha

CURBED.COM
By Lily di Costanzo

NEW YORK---Formerly home to late Oscar, Grammy, Emmy, Tony, and Pulitzer Prize-winning (whew) composer Marvin Hamlisch, this hilltop property in Bedford, N.Y., just hit the market for $7.95M. And though the place was originally built in 1968, it underwent a major renovation effort four years ago, leaving behind pretty, neutral-hued decor and exactly one massive, totally unexpected buddha mural. [link]

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Ancient Ritual Bronzes Grace a Museum Reopening in Massachusetts

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Randy Kennedy

An ancient container for cowrie shells with yaks sculpted on the lid,
in “Cast for Eternity” at the Clark Institute. Credit Shanghai Museum

MASSACHUSETTS---The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, which recently completed a 12-year, $145 million expansion project including new buildings by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando and renovations by the German-born architect Annabelle Selldorf, has reopened its doors in Williamstown, Mass., just in time for the great summer exodus of urban art pilgrims. “Cast for Eternity: Ancient Ritual Bronzes From the Shanghai Museum,” continuing through Sept. 21, features 32 elaborately decorated vessels and bells from China’s Bronze Age, the first of a series of exchanges between the Clark and the Shanghai institution. [link]

The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute: "Cast for Eternity: Ancient Ritual Bronzes From the Shanghai Museum," (Ends September 21); 225 South Street Williamstown, Massachusetts; (413) 458-2303; clarkart.edu

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Asian Art Museum Welcomes the Works of Arnold Chang and Michael Cherney

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS
By TAHLIB

"After Huang Gongwang 1" (2009) by Michael Cherney (American, b. 1969) and Arnold Chang (American, b. 1954). 

CALIFORNIA--- When Chinese ink painter Arnold Chang and photographer Michael Cherney met for the first time in 2007, they recognized a compatibility between Chang’s personal brushwork and Cherney’s granular photographs, which recall the aesthetics of ink painting. Since 2009, they have been creating joint works that strive to bridge the gap between the traditions of Chinese ink painting and the concerns of contemporary art. Twenty of their works will be showcased at San Francisco's Asian Art Museum in the exhibition "From Two Arises Three: The Collaborative Works of Arnold Chang and Michael Cherney," on view from July 15, 2014, through March 1, 2015.

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A New Shrine Room Returns for Display at the Rubin Museum

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS 
By TAHLIB

NEW YORK---A new Shrine Room, comprising nearly 130 objects, replaced the exhibition that has been on loan from the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, since 2010 with objects largely from the Rubin Museum’s own collection, complemented by a few select loans. The Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, part of Gateway to Himalayan Art, is one of the most visited and popular galleries at the Rubin Museum. Recreating the aesthetics and spirituality of a traditional Tibetan shrine room, it offers viewers the opportunity to experience Tibetan religious art in its cultural context. [link]

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Artist Opens Exhibition on the Murals of Mogao Caves

WOMEN OF CHINA
By Zhang Jiamin

An exhibition on the research and art creation of artist Chang Shana, who takes the Mogao Caves as her subject, kicked off at Today Art Museum in Beijing on July 1，2014. [Women of China/ Zhang Jiamin]

CHINA---An exhibition on the research and art creation of artist Chang Shana, who takes the Mogao Caves as her subject, kicked off at Today Art Museum in Beijing on July 1，2014. The exhibition, organized by China International Culture Association, China Artists Association, Women's Foreign Language Publications of China，and Today Art Museum, features Chang's artwork based on the murals of Mogao Caves, as well as her work on flowers. The Mogao Caves are in Dunghuang, southwest China's Gansu Province. The Mogao Caves are a cultural miracle of immense proportion. They are the largest cluster of Buddhist cave grottos ever constructed over a very long period of time. The exhibition is to last for about a month. [link]

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SFMOMA and Asian Art Museum Explore Extremes And Ambiguities of Beauty in Joint Exhibition

ARTDAILY

The Buddhist deity Simhavaktra Dakini, 1736–1796. China; Beijing or vicinity

CALIFORNIA---A selection of 72 stunning artworks drawn from the collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Asian Art Museum challenges visitors to confront the extremes and the ambiguities of beauty in the special exhibition "Gorgeous." On view June 20 through Sept. 14, 2014, at the Asian Art Museum, the exhibition is organized in partnership with SFMOMA as part of SFMOMA’s On the Go program, an ambitious multiyear off-site programming effort presented while its building is closed for expansion construction. [link]

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Tibetan Buddhist Art from the Collections of George E. Hibbard and the Saint Louis Art Museum

USC-US CHINA INSTITUTE

MISSOURI---"Facets of the Three Jewels" is organized around the three foundations of Buddhism: the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, his teachings, and the community of followers who practice and propagate those teachings through history. Without any of these three "jewels," Buddhism could not exist. Highlights of the exhibition include fabulous 18th-century thangkas (banner paintings) from a set of illustrations of the Buddha's previous lives. Another rare, 15th-century textile image embodies the pinnacle of Tibeto-Chinese craftsmanship. The exhibition contains objects representing styles of art from Nepal, Tibet, and China, including paintings of meditative rituals, bronze sculptures of deities, and textile images created through appliqué, weaving, and embroidery. [link]

Saint Louis Art Museum: "Facets of the Three Jewels" (July 4, 2014–February 22, 2015); 1 Fine Arts Dr, St Louis, MO 63110 Phone: (314) 721-0072; slam.org

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Artful Contemplation: Collections of the National Museum of Bhutan

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS

"Artful Contemplation: Collections of the National Museum of Bhutan" by Ariana Maki

BHUTAN---The National Museum of Bhutan announces its publication, Artful Contemplation: Collections of the National Museum of Bhutan by Ariana Maki, available at the NMB gift shop  or download the cover at Academia.edu.

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The Runner-Up Religions Of America

NPR | PROTOJOURNALIST
By Linton Weeks

Glance at the map above, Second Largest Religious Tradition in Each State 2010, and you will see that Buddhism (orange), Judaism (pink) and Islam (blue) are the runner-up religions across the country. No surprises there. But can you believe that Hindu (dark orange) is the No. 2 tradition in Arizona and Delaware, and that Baha'i (green) ranks second in South Carolina? The map — created by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies and published recently in The Washington Post — "looks very odd to me," says Hillary Kaell. [link]

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Art Review: Hindi Artists Explore the Unexpected Nature of Art

THE HINDU
By Parshathy J. Nath

Art with heart Nine artists display their sculptures and paintings at
Creative Hands, an exhibition by Kasthuri Sreenivasan Art Gallery Photos: Siva Saravanan

INDIA---Far from the world of autos and fruit vendors, Lord Buddha meditates. Flowers are drawn all over his face in light colours. A few birds circle around him, pecking him on his face. Paintings of P. Vimalnathan are done on round plywood canvasses. “I chose the round shape so that it would break the monotony. Also, I wanted it to represent the halo around Budha.” Ashok Pachariyappan’s black and white frames feature woodblock printing. Ashok has done his under graduation in graphics. The artists who took part in the show are A Karuppiah, P. Vimalnathan, P. Ashok, A.R. Ramesh, Subramanian, Jeyasree, Usha R., Koilpitchai Prabakar, R. Karunaraj. [link]

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