Destination, India
Welcome back to the Spiros Project Blog. As many of you know, I’ve been back in the States for the past four months after a very successful first trip to Southeast Asia, where I focused on contemporary spiritual art in Thailand and Bali, Indonesia. Many of the artists I met on the last trip are now listed in the new Artists Directory. Take a browse—this directory just went live last week and will continue to grow.
My next destination is India— the cradle of world spirituality—where, along with Nepal, I’m expecting to spend the coming six months. On Tuesday evening I’ll get on a plane bound for New Delhi (from Chicago) and get started on Phase II.
India is in the throes of globalization and rapid economic development, and the majority of contemporary artworks that are garnering international attention deal with issues more common to the western art world—globalization, national and individual identity vis the media, gender issues, etc. According to many I’ve spoken with, there is a turning away from spiritual art, at the very time that the west is looking more intensively towards the East for spiritual inspiration and insight. Nonetheless, I expect to find that those who continue to work on spiritual themes, with declared spiritual intent, and in communities of mystic and spiritual practice to have interesting things to say through their artworks. There is also a relatively large community of Western artists treating spiritual themes in their work living in India today, and these too will be an important component of this phase of work.
My research on India suggests that the most active areas for contemporary spiritual art—at least that which is known in the West—is concentrated in Benares (aka Varnassi, Hinduism’s holiest city), in West Bengal (Calcutta and Santineketan), and in the area near Chennai (formerly Madras), where the Sri Aurobindo Ashram (Pondicherry), the Auroville community, and the
communities near Arunachala/Trivunamali have attracted and launched a number of recognized artists who create works dealing in spiritual themes. So, after some time exploring Rajasthan in November and early December, I’ll head east from New Delhi to Kolkata and then south towards Chennai (Madras), perhaps stopping in Puri (Orissa) on the way South. Following what I expect to be a few weeks near Chennai, I will continue southwest into Kerala and then turn north towards Goa, where I look forward to a week or so of rest. From Goa I’ll head to the Mumbai area, where I hope to visit the Ganeshpuri Ashram and Osho Dam, two communities that have had (and passed) their moments of notoriety, but where art and spirituality continue to intermingle…by design.
From Mumbai I expect to head back to Delhi and then to Nepal, where a concentration of contemporary Himalayan artists (especially Vajrayana Buddhist thangka and neo-tantric artists) are apparently working. One gallery in Katmandu also represents a number of Tibetan artists of note.
Following time in Nepal, I will return to Delhi and travel to Rishikesh, cradle of yoga, and then to the far-north country where part of the Tibetan exile community is concentrated. I’ll visit Dharamasala but am particularly looking forward to Mandi/ Rewalsar Lake, where Lama Wangdor Rimpoche, a much beloved Tibetan master, heads a community of monks that educates and cares for young Tibetan refugees, as well as providing a spiritual community.
Of course, this could all change or be re-organized quickly. From what I hear, India has that effect on travelers, and is a challenging and unpredictable place. I’m nervous—moreso than prior to leaving for Thailand last winter—but also very excited to visit India.
I want to send out thanks to a couple of people who have helped get me prepared for this voyage. First, Debashish Banerji, Ph.D. a Los Angeles-based expert in Indian art expert who curated “Divine Carriers,” the last comprehensive look at Indian contemporary spiritual art in 1996, and more recently… I would also like to thank Barbara Matilsky, Curator of Exhibitions at the Ackland Art Museum at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The Ackland Museum’s Five Faiths Project has been exploring the art of Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism since 1999. Both Debashish and Barbara provided a lot of great information and suggestions that helped greatly in planning this trip.
And of course, to my many supportive friends and associates in Washington, Chapel Hill, Lawrence, and elsewhere, thanks for the encouragement and support. I’ll miss all of you!
If anyone has suggestions, contacts, or knowledge they’d like to share about India, please leave comments or e-mail me at spiros at spirosproject dot com. I’d love to hear from you all!
For those of you just joining, I’ve put in a gallery of images collected so far below, mainly from Thailand and Indonesia.
My next destination is India— the cradle of world spirituality—where, along with Nepal, I’m expecting to spend the coming six months. On Tuesday evening I’ll get on a plane bound for New Delhi (from Chicago) and get started on Phase II.
India is in the throes of globalization and rapid economic development, and the majority of contemporary artworks that are garnering international attention deal with issues more common to the western art world—globalization, national and individual identity vis the media, gender issues, etc. According to many I’ve spoken with, there is a turning away from spiritual art, at the very time that the west is looking more intensively towards the East for spiritual inspiration and insight. Nonetheless, I expect to find that those who continue to work on spiritual themes, with declared spiritual intent, and in communities of mystic and spiritual practice to have interesting things to say through their artworks. There is also a relatively large community of Western artists treating spiritual themes in their work living in India today, and these too will be an important component of this phase of work.
My research on India suggests that the most active areas for contemporary spiritual art—at least that which is known in the West—is concentrated in Benares (aka Varnassi, Hinduism’s holiest city), in West Bengal (Calcutta and Santineketan), and in the area near Chennai (formerly Madras), where the Sri Aurobindo Ashram (Pondicherry), the Auroville community, and the
communities near Arunachala/Trivunamali have attracted and launched a number of recognized artists who create works dealing in spiritual themes. So, after some time exploring Rajasthan in November and early December, I’ll head east from New Delhi to Kolkata and then south towards Chennai (Madras), perhaps stopping in Puri (Orissa) on the way South. Following what I expect to be a few weeks near Chennai, I will continue southwest into Kerala and then turn north towards Goa, where I look forward to a week or so of rest. From Goa I’ll head to the Mumbai area, where I hope to visit the Ganeshpuri Ashram and Osho Dam, two communities that have had (and passed) their moments of notoriety, but where art and spirituality continue to intermingle…by design.From Mumbai I expect to head back to Delhi and then to Nepal, where a concentration of contemporary Himalayan artists (especially Vajrayana Buddhist thangka and neo-tantric artists) are apparently working. One gallery in Katmandu also represents a number of Tibetan artists of note.
Following time in Nepal, I will return to Delhi and travel to Rishikesh, cradle of yoga, and then to the far-north country where part of the Tibetan exile community is concentrated. I’ll visit Dharamasala but am particularly looking forward to Mandi/ Rewalsar Lake, where Lama Wangdor Rimpoche, a much beloved Tibetan master, heads a community of monks that educates and cares for young Tibetan refugees, as well as providing a spiritual community.
Of course, this could all change or be re-organized quickly. From what I hear, India has that effect on travelers, and is a challenging and unpredictable place. I’m nervous—moreso than prior to leaving for Thailand last winter—but also very excited to visit India.
I want to send out thanks to a couple of people who have helped get me prepared for this voyage. First, Debashish Banerji, Ph.D. a Los Angeles-based expert in Indian art expert who curated “Divine Carriers,” the last comprehensive look at Indian contemporary spiritual art in 1996, and more recently… I would also like to thank Barbara Matilsky, Curator of Exhibitions at the Ackland Art Museum at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The Ackland Museum’s Five Faiths Project has been exploring the art of Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism since 1999. Both Debashish and Barbara provided a lot of great information and suggestions that helped greatly in planning this trip.
And of course, to my many supportive friends and associates in Washington, Chapel Hill, Lawrence, and elsewhere, thanks for the encouragement and support. I’ll miss all of you!
If anyone has suggestions, contacts, or knowledge they’d like to share about India, please leave comments or e-mail me at spiros at spirosproject dot com. I’d love to hear from you all!
For those of you just joining, I’ve put in a gallery of images collected so far below, mainly from Thailand and Indonesia.
1 Comments:
Hola queridissimo amigo!
We enjoy reading your updates and being transported to other fantastical realms! Happy delvings in the New Year.
Nilufer Yasemin and Piazza
ps. Yasemin says that you should never say "boo!" to a goose!
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