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Asian Art Calendar of Events

Thursday, March 28, 2024


Exhibition Public - USA & Canada

Comparative Hell: Arts of Asian Underworlds

Asia Society
725 Park Avenue,
New York, USA
Feb 07, 2023 To May 07, 2023


Detail: The first comprehensive exhibition in the United States to explore portrayals of hell across the Asian religious traditions of Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Islam, Comparative Hell: Arts of Asian Underworlds, examines how systems of belief and the underworlds within them are manifest in the rich artistic creations of Asia.

Exceptional and visually stunning artworks explore the impact of conceptions of hell on Asian visual culture over time. Didactic paintings, sculptures, and sacred objects introduce the notions of Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, and Islamic cosmology, as well as ideas about judgment, punishment, and salvation after death—many of which are shared by these traditions. Exhibition artworks portray religious threats of fiery torture as a means to shape values and beliefs, to instill virtuous behavior, and to encourage atonement for sins—reflecting a universal human desire for spiritual transformation.

Phone No.: 212-288-6400
Fax: 212-517-8315
Contact Email: [email protected]
Site URL: https://asiasociety.org/new-york/exhibitions/comparative-hell-arts-asian-underworlds

Detail, The Fathers of the People of Error Are Punished in Hell
Detail, The Fathers of the People of Error Are Punished in Hell
India, Deccan, Hyderabad (?)
Ca. 1800
Miniature from a copy of Hamla-i Haydari (‘Ali’s Exploits)
Manuscript page; ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

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