May 03, 2008

                       Text and photos by Ali Adil Khan

Earlier this year, the South Asian Wing of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Toronto re-opened within a newly designed crystal structure by world renowned architect Daniel Liebskind, constructed at a cost of about $300 million.

Eight years ago, Sir Christopher Ondaatje, who originates from South Asia, pledged a million dollars on the condition that the community matched his pledge within a year. South Asians in Toronto rose to the occasion and raised an additional million dollars which made possible the appointment of a permanent curatorial chair for South Asian art and acquisition of some 2000 notable art pieces.

Dr Deepali Dewan, Curator of South Asian Art at the ROM has been the driving force behind the expansion of the South Asian Gallery. With research interests spanning the 19th-20th century visual cultures of South Asia and the history of photography in India, for the last five years she has quietly and selectively acquired artefacts of importance that have filled gaps where the collection was lacking and enhanced areas where the collection was already strong.

There are approximately 350 artefacts on permanent display in nine thematically organised areas. They include religious objects and sculpture, decorative arts, arms and armour, miniature paintings and textiles spanning over 5,000 years and originating from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tibet.

The first 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. Numerous objects are displayed from the ancient cities of Mohenjodaro and Chanhudaro.

‘Imagining the Buddha’, traces the birth and development of Buddhist art from the 3rd to 5th centuries and the Gandhara region. ROM’s Gandhara collection is notable both from a quantity and quality perspective. It includes stucco heads of Bodhisattvas from Taxila, large scale standing Buddhas from Takht-i-Bahi, and intricately carved pedestals in grey schist depicting the great departure.

‘The goddess’ explores icons of the feminine divine represented in both benevolent and wrathful forms and ‘Visualizing divinity’, depicts representations of gods across several religions and their various manifestations over time. A significant object of note here is the large bronze Shiva Nataraja (Lord of dance), dating to the 12th to 14th centuries.

‘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 of the 16th to mid-19th century. Objects such as arms and armour, crystal jade, jewellery, ivory and miniature paintings are displayed here.

Two outstanding pieces that catch the eye from this collection are ‘Sarpech’ (turban ornament) and ‘Kara’ (bangle). Both from 18th century Rajasthan, they brilliantly designed and executed in kundan and minakari with generous use of gold, diamonds, enamel and other precious stones. India’s Golconda mines near Hyderabad in Deccan were the world’s only source of diamonds until the late nineteenth century and the treasuries of kings were full of sumptuous jewels. Gemstones were not cut down into crystal forms as today and were admired more for their size and colour.

The modern period, ‘Cultural exchange’ focuses on Dutch, Portuguese, and British commercial interaction with South Asia from the 16th-19th century and the new social, political, and cultural relationships that were established. 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. Video, painting, photography and sculpture are exhibited in this section as well as some of ROM’s recent acquisitions. They include an important manuscript from the court of Maharajah Ranjit Singh, the Ain-i-Akbari (Chronicles of Emperor Akbar) which was commissioned by Maharajah Ranjit Singh in Lahore and dates back to the year 1822 and features 290 pages, including seven beautiful illustrations.

For this gallery, ROM has also commissioned contemporary miniature works by the Singh Twins (Amrit and Rabindra K D Kaur Singh) from U.K. illustrating the Diasporic experience of South Asians, and a video digital (animation) work by Shahzia Sikander titled ‘Dissonance to detour’. Also exhibited here are Self-portraits (photographs) by emerging Indian artist Pushpamala and modern sculpture by Navjot Altaf, mixed media works by contemporary South Asian Canadian artists Panchal Mansaram and Sylvat Aziz, and modern paintings by Old Masters Jamini Roy, Sadequain and Zainulabidin. Other important acquisitions in this gallery are Raja Ravi Verma’s embellished and dressed up prints, calendar art and vintage Bollywood posters from pre and post-partition period.

  Dr Dewan’s current research on the work of Raja Deen Dayal, led her to convince the acquisition committee of the ROM to acquire the Jhabvala Collection. Considered to be a major collection of South Asian photography, it consists of more than 2000 images from the late 19th to mid-20th century. In 1892, the Nizam of Hyderabad, the ruler of a powerful princely state in the Deccan region of India, conferred upon the photographer Deen Dayal the title of ‘Raja Bahadur Mussavir Jung’ (Bold warrior of photography). Since then, the prolific 19th-century South Asian photographer has been known as Raja Deen Dayal. This title is significant for it preserves a moment in the history of Indian photography that was not part of the official realm of the British government.

The Sir Christopher Ondaatje South Asian Gallery is truly a treasure trove of rare artefacts and modern and contemporary art, which makes visiting it a memorable experience. It offers a true and complete depiction of South Asia’s diverse and vibrant art history spanning from 3500 BC to the present day. It is no doubt the jewel in the crown of the Royal Ontario Museum.



Top: External view of ROM’s

Crystal

Top left: Sarpech

Left: Standing Buddha in grey schist