Controversial Exhibition At The Rubin
The newly established Rubin Museum of Art in New York is already taking chances with a controversial exhibition. The museum is dedicated to the art of the Himalayas and is currently hosting the touring exhibition "Tibet: Treasures from the Roof of the World." A significant number of the nearly 200 objects on view come from the Potala Palace, once the residence of the Dalai Lama. The Rubin museum provides the following acknowledgement of sponsorship and affiliation:
"This exhibition was organized by the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art in collaboration with the Bureau of Cultural Relics, Tibet Autonomous Region; the Potala Palace; and the Tibet Museum."
What it fails to clearly indicate is that the objects that have been removed from the Potala Palace are on loan from the Chinese government, which acquired the objects after the hostile take-over of Tibet in 1949-50 (for more info go here). Lhadon Tethong, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet, weighed in:
"While the Chinese government is displaying these precious treasures at the Rubin Museum, in Tibet the same government is systematically destroying the very culture that created them. China's policies are reducing Tibetan Buddhist culture to nothing more than a collection of museum pieces."
Other activists and Tibetan rights groups believe the exhibition is an attempt by the Chinese government to improve its image in the West and of its rule of Tibet. While the objects themselves may be extremely precious and rare, with perhaps the same adjectives applicable to the opportunity of seeing them on display, make no mistake about it--these objects are the cultural property of an exiled government and suppressed people. The sculpture of King Songtsen Gambo and other important Tibetan treasures do not belong in the hands of the Chinese government (the same government that attempted to destroy Tibet's very culture and heritage almost 60 years ago) but with the Tibetans.
The lack of outrage in the art world can probably be best explained by its indifference to the methods by which the Chinese government attained these objects and with its focus on the extraordinary objects themselves. Indeed the opportunity to see such relics is appealing, however I doubt the Rubin will offer images, text, or otherwise explanation of how many Tibetans were killed and other artifacts destroyed in order to make this exhibition possible.
"This exhibition was organized by the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art in collaboration with the Bureau of Cultural Relics, Tibet Autonomous Region; the Potala Palace; and the Tibet Museum."
What it fails to clearly indicate is that the objects that have been removed from the Potala Palace are on loan from the Chinese government, which acquired the objects after the hostile take-over of Tibet in 1949-50 (for more info go here). Lhadon Tethong, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet, weighed in:
"While the Chinese government is displaying these precious treasures at the Rubin Museum, in Tibet the same government is systematically destroying the very culture that created them. China's policies are reducing Tibetan Buddhist culture to nothing more than a collection of museum pieces."
Other activists and Tibetan rights groups believe the exhibition is an attempt by the Chinese government to improve its image in the West and of its rule of Tibet. While the objects themselves may be extremely precious and rare, with perhaps the same adjectives applicable to the opportunity of seeing them on display, make no mistake about it--these objects are the cultural property of an exiled government and suppressed people. The sculpture of King Songtsen Gambo and other important Tibetan treasures do not belong in the hands of the Chinese government (the same government that attempted to destroy Tibet's very culture and heritage almost 60 years ago) but with the Tibetans.
The lack of outrage in the art world can probably be best explained by its indifference to the methods by which the Chinese government attained these objects and with its focus on the extraordinary objects themselves. Indeed the opportunity to see such relics is appealing, however I doubt the Rubin will offer images, text, or otherwise explanation of how many Tibetans were killed and other artifacts destroyed in order to make this exhibition possible.
posted by Corey Wyckoff at 3:04 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home