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South Asian Treasure Trove
Sir
Christopher Ondaatje South Asian Gallery
View towards the large hand-painted floral
textile, Sir Christopher Ondaatje South Asian Gallery
Creator: Brian Boyle Date of Image: February 2008
A massive 4th-century Buddha head and a miniature
painting of life in the Sikh diaspora, circa 1997, are just two of the
treasures housed in the Sir Christopher Ondaatje South Asian Gallery at
the Royal Ontario Museum.
This gallery’s approximate 350 objects reflects the
ROM’s vast and diverse collections representing the artistic and
cultural traditions of South Asia. Nine thematically organized areas
present religious objects and sculpture, decorative arts, arms and armour,
miniature paintings and textiles spanning over 5,000 years and originating
from countries including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal,
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tibet.
The section of the gallery titled Material Remains
highlights the material culture of ancient South Asia from the Indus
Valley Civilization (3500 - 1900 BC) in present-day Pakistan to the Sunga
Period (3rd - 2nd century BC) in northern India. Other sections include Imagining
the Buddha, tracing the birth and development of Buddhist art from
the 3rd to 5th centuries, especially focusing on the region of Gandhara; The
Goddess, exploring icons of the feminine divine represented in both
benevolent and wrathful forms; and Visualizing Divinity,
showcasing representations of gods across several religions and their
various manifestations over time. Passage to Enlightenment
presents the colourful arts of the Himalayan region, which gave concrete
form to concepts of esoteric Buddhism, dating from the 15th century to the
present day, while Courtly Culture describes lavish luxury items
and displays of grandeur predominantly from the Mughal and Rajput courts.
For the modern period, Cultural Exchange
focuses on Dutch, Portuguese,and British commercial interaction with South
Asia from the 16th-19th centuries and the new social, political, and
cultural relationships that were established and, finally, Home and
the World presents modern and contemporary art of
South Asia and of the South Asian Diaspora as it absorbs and reflects
current issues in the 20th and 21st centuries.
The gallery will also share a rotating exhibition
space with the Wirth Gallery of the Middle East to showcase objects from
the ROM's Middle Eastern and South Asian collections.
First opened in 2000, much work has gone into
redeveloping the Sir Christopher Ondaatje South Asian Gallery for its new
location in the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal. The gallery is named in honour
of Sir Christopher Ondaatje, C.B.E., O.C. in appreciation of his generous
support of Renaissance ROM and the Royal Ontario Museum.
Deepali Dewan, the curator, made the following comments at the
re-opening of the Gallery in February, 2008.
"All the other galleries stop at the 18th or 19th century.
Sometimes there is bias toward older things, that they are of more value.
But I think contemporary art is what people can feel some familiarity
with. They can see their own life experience in it.
"By showing the whole history of South Asian culture to modern day
in one space, I want people to leave with the idea that it is not only a
thing of the past but very much a vibrant, contemporary, living culture
today – to emphasize the continuity of the culture and tradition."
"What we tried to do is include not only things that were
commissioned by queens or kings or big wealthy temples, but what was used
in daily life by the average person."
"They were produced by Indian artists for a tourist audience. It
brings up all the problems with colonialism – unequal power,
racism," says Dewan.
"The romantic notion of South Asia as the land of maharajas and
the exotic still endures today, particularly in the tourist market, but
the subcontinent is so much more than that. Hopefully this will inspire
people to think about where these ideas came from and what else is part of
South Asian culture."
The most powerful aspect of the gallery is how it will validate South
Asian culture in Canada, says Dewan, adding that designing a permanent
gallery is a once-in-lifetime opportunity for a curator.
"Now a whole new generation of kids in the GTA coming through the
museum will be exposed to South Asian culture in a way that their parents
never were. For them to grow up having a familiarity with this culture is
a huge achievement.
"The ROM is Canada's museum, so it's also a sense of pride for
South Asians from the diaspora who may not have much contact with the
subcontinent."
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