Just published in India Currents!
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Shiva’s Family, India Rajasthan, Bundhi c. 1730; ink. gouache, and gold on paper;
11-7/8 x 8-5/12. in.
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“Animals are complex. Often
marginalized, there’s increasing interest in understanding how animals feel…
there’s a discrepancy, though, between how we understand our own feelings and
those of animals” explains Guest Curator Padma Maitland. The Berkeley Art
Museum’s new exhibition, “The Elephant’s Eye: Artful Animals in South and
Southeast Asia” brings together thirty paintings, ink studies, and sculptures
from India, Thailand, and Cambodia to explore the representation and meaning of
animals in South and Southeast Asian art.
“As Padma and I began
looking at images from the collection it was apparent that the exhibition would
be made up of different types of art: religious, folk and classical paintings,
sculpture, and tapestry as well as drawings. I liked his approach because it
opened doors to new ways of looking at these objects and put material in
interesting juxtaposition in a rather non-traditional way” says Julia White,
Senior Curator for Asian Art at the Berkeley Art Museum. Maitland worked
closely with both White and Penny Edwards, UC Berkeley Professor of South and
Southeast Asian Studies, to develop the “The Elephant’s Eye”.
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Historical Page (from an unidentified manuscript), Mughal, Shah Jahani copy of an
Akbar Period original, mid 17th century; ink, gouache, and gold on paper; 11-3/16 x
7-3/8 in.; gift of Jean and Francis Marshall.
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The link between animals and
the Berkeley Art Museum’s collection was first discovered by Penny Edwards
while developing a seminar about animal magic. Fortuitously, Edward’s discovery
dovetailed nicely with Maitland’s own graduate work on representations of elephants
in Dalit Buddhist art and architecture in India. “Once we began, looking for
perhaps just a handful of items, we both were delighted to find art work that helped
to expand on the theme. BAM/PFA has a wonderful collection of Indian paintings,
primarily from the Jean and Francis Marshall collection, that Padma was able to
use as a major resource” comments White.
With input from all of the
Berkeley Art Museum’s departments, the exhibit was carefully crafted to explore
a variety of social and historical settings. “The relationship between animals
and humans is complex, changing over time and according to context,” says
Maitland. One of the pieces in the exhibition, a beautifully composed Shah
Jahani copy of an Akbar Period original, shows a procession of men traveling
with elephants, horses, and dogs through rocky terrain. In this instance animals
are a representation of power and wealth, “The formal expression can be a
telling testament to how animals are understood or perceived in relation to the
time and context of its creation” explains Maitland.
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Tethered Elephant, India, Rajasthan, Bundhi, 1720; ink, color wash, and gold on
paper; 8 x p in.; gift of Jean and Francis Marshall.
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Although a variety of
animals are featured throughout the exhibit, it is the elephant that takes
center stage. “Elephants are particularly prolific in the collection and the
type of art from the region we were choosing… elephants furthermore feature
prominently in popular imagination, so seem a fruitful focus for a show
appealing to a wider audience” explains Maitland. A Bundhi painting from the
1730’s features Ganesh arrayed as part of Shiva’s family, tapping into a deeply
religious interpretation of the elephant. Another earlier and dramatic work
from the 17th century shows Vishnu and Garuda saving the King of the
Elephants, Gajendra Moksha, from a dynamic
crocodile.
The exhibition also reveals
a glimpse of life from behind the eyes of an elephant. “A naturalistic
depiction of an elephant reflects a different understanding of the animal than
a more stylized or iconic version does” comments Maitland. An 18th
century Bundhi painting from the exhibition reveals a clever elephant escaping
his tethers. The exhibit also includes work by conceptual artists Vitaly Komar
and Alex Melamid, who trained elephants to create their own paintings at the
Asian Elephant Art and Conservation Project in Thailand. “Instead of being a
painting of an elephant, it is a painting done by the elephant Ramona” says
Maitland.
Maitland will be giving a
guided tour of the exhibition April 13th. “By focusing on
representation of animals in the art of South and Southeast Asia, it was our
hope that the exhibition would open up a discussion of the relationships
between how animals are depicted and how they are understood” says Maitland.
“The Elephant’s Eye” is a chance for viewers of all ages to engage both empathetically
and intellectually with the animals in front of them. “Working with Padma on
this show was a delightful experience and I think the exhibition is a real
achievement and contribution to our exhibition program,” concludes White.
The Elephant’s Eye: Artful Animals in South and
Southeast Asia
Through June 29th
Berkeley Art Museum
2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley
Wednesday through Sunday, 11am-5pm
Tickets begin at $10
www.bampfa.berkeley.edu
