“Anticipating Mobility: Buddhist Sculpture from Andhra and Sri Lanka”
Catherine Becker, Associate Professor in the Department of Art History and an affiliated faculty member in the Global Asian Studies Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago
This presentation examines a perplexing limestone relief from a Buddhist site in South India, and now in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. How is it key to thinking about a range of mobilities that seem to inform ancient Buddhist art? The talk considers the ways in which artists translate oral narratives into visual forms, objects move through time and space, artists work across regions, and relics, which themselves can be highly mobile objects.
“Why Dance? Reflections on South Asian Sculpture”
Padma Kaimal, Batza Family Chair in Art History, Colgate University
This presentation explores the category of dance as it has manifested in South Asian sculpture. Could it have meant one consistent thing? The topic relates to core questions that Kaimal has variously explored. Are the boundaries of India’s modern states meaningful for understanding beautiful temples of the past? How do narrative sculptures tell their stories? Are fierce goddesses demonic? Are museums the problem, the solution, or both to contentions over cultural property? What can visual evidence supply that words have not?
Lunch & Discussion, 1- 2:30 pm, Meyerson Conference Room, 4th floor, Hogg Bldg., Boxed (veg) lunches furnished for all who attend (OPEN TO ALL) to indicate your choice.
A brief presentation by Dr. Weinstein concerning the place of Islamic traditions at the BMFA in the early 20th century followed by discussion with all speakers reflecting on questions about how discussions of South Asian art are often constrained by binaries, ranging from religious distinctions to defining modes of influence.
Sponsored by the Department of Art and Art History, Yew Fund and the South Asia Institute
For further info, reach out to: matthew.gonzalez@austin.utexas.edu.