AWNY Gallery Shows 31


INDIAN ART Navin Kumar, 15 to 24 March


HIMALAYAN AND


Navin Kumar once again presents Tibetan thangkas and bronzes, as well as Indian court paintings. A highlight is an early 16th-century Green Tara mandala featuring 17 deities, in opaque watercolour and gold cloth. Green Tara, a Bodhisattva, is a female embodiment of enlightenment and protection.


She is shown with


Amogasiddhi, a Buddha, but her placement in the composition makes the Buddha reverent to the Tara. Tis form is highly unusual, and a key piece in this exhibition.Tis mandala was commissioned by Lhachog Sengge (1468-1535), a famous Ngor Abbot, who is well-known as a patron of many works of Tibetan art. Lhachog took vows at the age of 11, eventually working closely with his teacher, Konchog Pelwa (1445 -1514). Lhachog became the Abbot in 1516, and served for 18 years until his own death. Tis work intended to honour of Pelwa’s longevity, offering both protection and inspiration for meditative thought. • Navin Kumar at 24 East 73rd Street, Suite 4F, New York 10021, tel 917 721 0426, navin@navinkumar.com, navinkumar.com


ASIAN JEWELS Susan Ollemans, 15 to 24 March


Susan Ollemans continues to emphasise jewellery from the 17th to 19th centuries, with a sampling of pieces from antiquity. Te selection ranges across Asia, featuring jewels from China, Vietnam, Cambodia,


Indonesia,


Perhaps the most interesting highlight is five gold frogs from Burma, dated between 400 BC and


AD200. Currently mounted as a necklace,


they were originally


decoration on a Dongson drum. Te frogs are made in sheet gold, with lacquer interiors, and are most likely symbols of harvest and fertility. • Susan Ollemans at Antiquarium Gallery, 790 Madison Avenue, 7/F, New York 10065, tel 212 734 9776, sue@ollemans.com, ollemans.com


EXOTIC MIRROR: IN THE EYE OF THE OTHER, AND OTHER STORIES.


Alexis Renard, 15 to 23 March


Exotic can sometimes be misunderstood as something ‘other’ in such a way as to be problematic – at worst, even appropriated. But in this exhibition, Renard aims to show the power of the exotic, and its ability to bring together worlds for the better. Indian and Asian pieces depict European subjects, known widely as firangi, or foreigners. Te images of the Europeans hail mainly from the 18th century. Notable among them is a Portrait of a Dutch gentleman, with his striking moustache, offset by ships coming into port in the background. He clutches a porcelain cup near his face, complementing the blue of the ocean


with the foreground. But


perhaps the most scandalous image is that of an erotic scene featuring a European couple,


four female figures circa 1700, in


Rajasthan. Nude and locked in a full- body embrace,


Tailand, and India.


dressed in European clothes frame them and look on. However, the women also have bindis and dark hair, marrying the aesthetic ideals of both cultures in this surprising scene. It is this in-depth look at cross-cultural perspectives throughout history that proves to be so fascinating, layering in precious objects from the past with


Portrait of a Dutch Gentleman, pigments and gold on paper, North India, probably Jaipur, late 18th century, 39.8 x 31.9 cm, Alexis Renard


images of ‘exotic’ foreigners to tell so many tales of travel, discovery, and (without pretence) lust. • Alexis Renard at Tambaran Gallery, 5 East 82nd Street, Lower Level, New York 10028, tel +33 6 80 37 74 00, courrier@alexisrenard.com, alexisrenard.com


ARMS AND ARMOUR


FROM THE EAST Runjeet Singh, 15 to 23 March


Singh’s connoisseurship of weaponry from various regions


India also


extends to objects, in this show, from Tibet, China, Korea, Indonesia, and the Middle East. In addition to presenting a selection of 19th-century daggers, Singh ties iconography in 19th- century Tibetan objects to ancient Hindu narratives, revealing the power of the collection with a passion for historical accuracy and an illuminating imagination. Highlights include a Coorg pinchanagatti from


Southwest India, complete with the original wooden scabbard and silver suspension chains, and a Rajasthani dagger with gold detailing of prayers along the handle and its original red velvet scabbard. Not only is it rare to see daggers and armour at Asia Week, but this collection remains outstanding by any standard. As an amalgamation of worlds across art history, it is a fascinating look at what ritualised weapons mean cross- culturally, and as wondrously beautiful works. • Runjeet Singh at Tambaran Gallery, 5 East 82nd Street, Basement, New York 10028, tel 212 570 0655, info@runjeetsingh.com, runjeetsingh.com


BUDDHIST BRONZES AND PAINTINGS FROM


THE HIMALAYAS Tenzing Asian Art, 15 to 23 March


A highlight from this show is the thangka of Tousand Armed Lokeshvara from the early 15th century.


Among many names,


reflecting its celebration across centuries and cultures, the deity is also referred to as Avalokiteshvara: the god of compassion. Tenzing’s example is distemper on cloth, in a brilliantly preserved colour scheme of reds and greens. A myriad of figures flank the central subject, whose arms spread across. Te artist is Newari, which covers the region around Kathmandu Valley, known for


its


unique language and culture. Additional works include a Chinese Buddha Amoghasiddhi in gilt copper alloy, accented with pigment around the detailing and the face, and a carved wood seal of a dignitary from the Yuan dynasty (1260-1368). • Tenzing Asian Art at Van de Weghe Ltd, 1018 Madison Avenue,


Coorg pinchanagatti, Coorg, South West India, mid-19th century, silver, iron, wood, gold, glass, and brass, Runjeet Singh


New York 10075, tel 415 269 4716, iwona@tenzingasianart.com, tenzingasianart.com


Green Tara Mandala, first quarter of the 16th century, opaque watercolour and gold on cloth, 50.8 cm x 42.7 cm, Navin Kumar


FAST FORWARD \ LOOKING BACK Jewels of Japanese Art Through the Ages


5 East 82nd Street at Tambaran Gallery New York City 646 249 8500


Opening March 15 at Noon March 16 to March 24 11AM to 5PM daily


Reception March 17 at 5PM


CAROLE DAVENPORT 131 east 83 st. new york city | caroledavenport.com


MARCH 2018 ASIAN ART


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