A Visit to the Phoenix Art Museum, Part Two

Last week, I began a virtual tour for you of the Phoenix Art Museum. That first part was a general look at the museum, but I want to concentrate a bit on some of the individual exhibitions. This week, I'll share a few photos of Expanding Darshan: Manjari Sharma, To See and Be Seen. Since I've been reading mysteries set in India, this exhibit turned out to be one of my favorites, and I hope you'll enjoy looking at some of the pieces, too.

Let's get started!

I took my time wandering around the exhibition, enjoying Sharma's photographs and the artifacts that were included.

Denis enjoyed the exhibit, too.

Ganesha is probably my favorite Hindu god.

Lord Ganesha from the Darshan Series, 2011. Artist: Manjari Sharma.

Seated Four-Armed Ganesha, God of Success and Abundance, 12th century. Java, Indonesia.

Saraswati Riding Her Sacred Hamsa Waterbird. Wood. 19th-20th century. Bali, Indonesia.

From the Expanding Darshan Exhibit.

Ritual Crown with Garuda Motif. 19th or early 20th century. Hammered and pierced brass. Bali, Indonesia. The extended wings and hooked beak of the sacred Garuda bird is showcased at the back of this crown, signaling the wearer is an embodiment of Vishnu. Crowns like this are worn by grooms and appear in Balinese theater, where they are worn by dancers and also depicted in the famed wayang kulit plays that feature shadow puppets and marionettes.

Maa Kali from the Darshan Series, 2013. Chromogenic print, brass embossed frame. Artist: Manjari Sharma. Standing amid corpses on a battlefield, the goddess Kali wears the severed heads and arms of those she has vanquished. These may be demons or aspects of the ego that must be controlled to attain the ultimate release.

This second part of my virtual tour seems to have ended on a rather grisly note, but I have to say that the exhibit was fascinating and filled with information and color.