Through Divine Intervention: "The Shangri-La" Temple in Chelsea
By Valery Oisteanu
A new cultural entity, the Rubin Museum of Art recently opened in Chelsea, in the building vacated by Barney’s. It houses a treasure of 1,500 pieces of Himalayan Art, mostly from the 12th to the 19th century, including paintings, sculptures and textiles–one of the biggest collections of Buddhist and Tibetan art in the world. The old decommissioned temple of consumerism is now a multilevel repository of exotic Nepalese, Chinese, Bhutan, Tibetan, Indian, Sikim and Ladakh religious art and traditional antique artifacts. The museum salvages and displays beautiful works salvaged from the Chinese occupation of Tibet and their neglect of religious art as well as the proliferating westernization of daily life in that country.
This artistic venture hits the right note at the right time. Under the auspices of the Tibetan Gods of Arts and Crafts, the passion of the collectors Donald and Shelley Rubin coincides with the increasing interest in Asian spirituality among New York audiences. What is more, Richard Blinder has splendidly redesigned the structure at 150 West 17 Street, and with Milton Glaser’s interior, and Andr�e Putnam’s staircase "to Nirvana," the space has become an incredibly beautiful temple-museum of Buddhist Ancient Art in a modern environment.
The antique thangkas and ancient monastic paintings can be studied and appreciated as a contribution to world Asian culture and to western culture alike. The museum has six floors, each with a mandala-like floor plan. Bronze motif murals adorn the lobby, with metal door fittings inspired by Himalayan iconography, and several bronze stupa-tops. The collections on each floor are arranged by theme: Sacred History: Sages and Stories (idealized portraits of founders by monks); Perfect Being Pure Realms (idealized human forms surrounded by flowers and light); Demonic Divine: Himalayan Art and Beyond (ferocious deities that are often protectors painted by monks); Portraits of Transmission (the transmission of culture is represented through poets, philosophers and religious figures); Methods of Transcendence (mandalas and imagery embodying insights of Himalayan thought). The lower level gallery provides space for contemporary work and presently houses an exhibit entitled Sacred Passage to Himalayas, a display of mysterious photography by Kenro Izu. Included is a print depicting Temple Boroubadour (Java-Indonesia)–a giant, an architectural structure that can be seen from space, and one of the 8 wonders of the world. A 150-seat theatre is also located in the lower gallery and it will provide a place for a multitude of events: music, film, dance, and poetry festivals all scheduled for the next three months, almost on the daily basis.
Most of the thangkas from the collection tell classic tales from Buddhist scriptures. They are, in a sense, a depiction of deities’ activity, but they are neither iconic nor static, as they illustrate the movement in the "cosmic dance." Upon encountering these wickedly humorous, ghoulish, horrifying and unsettling enlightened protectors, who take the form of dancing skeleton bronze-sculpture (used as a long horn trumpet stand) or the frightening ritualistic masks, the viewer experiences an emotional and spiritual uplift. These icons of tantric Buddhism invoke the dark elements of the human psyche that are unwise to ignore.
A Tibetan folkloric proverb states that man and beast are indistinguishable when eating, sleeping, and copulating. Only religion and art differentiate us from the beasts. In reflection of this, Buddhist art reached a high point in late 15 century through two known artists: Menlha Dondrub (ca.1425-1505), founder of the Menri painting tradition, and Kyentze Wangchug (1420-1500), who was both stimulated by Nepalese tradition and Chinese influences.
Some visitors unfamiliar with Himalayan artifacts may be horrified by the dark images of demonic figures wearing skulls as ornaments. Some of the scenes seem to come directly from Dante’s Inferno. Yet each image is a metaphor for its opposite–the destruction of hatred, the destruction of revenge, the destruction of anger, ignorance and greed. Just as Dante had to journey through Purgatory and the Inferno before reaching Paradise, followers of the ancient traditions of the Himalayas find enlightenment through the transformation of the dark side of the mind and gaining freedom from destructive desires. The images are visualizations of our own inner battle. In essence these "wrathful deities" are the guardians of the soul, they are protectors of all beings. They are representations of sacred teachings that prevent people from self-deception and egotism.
In an accompaniment to the inaugural exhibition Demonic Divine: Himalayan Art and Beyond, authors Rob Linrothe and curator Jeff Watt have descriptively cataloged more than sixty artworks of "wrathful" deities largely drawn from the Museum’s permanent collection. This catalog marks the first publication of RMA and is enhanced by Marylin Rhie’s essay on Mahakala (The Wrathful Deity). The beautifully illustrated book contributes to the study of various thangkas and sculptures from the Rubin collection. "What is it about sacred art that makes it sacred?" ask Mathieu Ricard in the foreword of the catalogue, "It is not just that it draws out images and ideas from one or another of the world’s religions, truly sacred art awakens in the mind a direct experience deeper than our ordinary selves and the material world."
There are a lot of "wrathful deities" both in Buddhist and Tibetan indigenous art. The so-called dangerous protectors, Yaksha, are so terrifying that the painter who looks at it supposedly faints away in fright. Although they grasp dangerous weapons, snarl furiously, and make threatening gestures, "wrathful deities" are neither malignant nor harmful to humans. They keep the bad spirits away, or their wrath is directed against the darkness of ignorance, which prevents man from gaining emancipation. Therefore they are really benevolent. "If you become angry/Merely owning to an injury. Then why not be angry at anger / which destroys your goal of liberation." says Buddha. These enemies are the inner and outer enemies experienced in mundane human existence. Thus the destroyer of death is even more terrifying in appearance than his enemy death. He terrifies the terrifiers. So, "wrathful deities" are not malevolent, and according to the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the disembodied consciousness of the recently deceased will encounter wrathful forms and if the soul is repealed by the frightful appearance this leads to rebirth in less fortunate circumstances, but instead if by contrast the soul recognizes them as compassionate forms of the Buddha this soul will be led to enlightenment.
The close proximity to this Buddhist art makes us better understand the universality of some of the religious messages and appreciate these famous thangkas and wall paintings from the Buddhist monasteries (gonpa) in Nepal and Tibet. These ancient artifacts where often collectively produced by artist monks and painted textiles served as the centerpieces for "mystery plays" and temple-dances in which the entire population of that particular community participated.
Artists and art lovers, members and volunteers, residents of Chelsea and beyond all came to the opening of the Rubin Museum of Arts. Outside, hanging from the facade of the Museum, were long strings with over a 100 prayer flags spanning the street and fluttering in the wind, created by over a hundred local Chelsea artists (including Peter Max, John Chamberlain, Kiki Smith, Louise Bourgeois and others) and announcing the opening of the new temple of sacred arts. A colorful street fair equipped with a music pavilion, Tibetan food, Mongolian dancers and even a rock climbing installation all complimented the grand beginning. The Museum emphasizes the importance of keeping Himalayan art alive along with the struggle for the freedom of the Tibetan people. We look forward to the rest of the one hundred great events in the first 100 days. Among the events RMA will sponsor will be the inaugural South Asian International Film Festival (Dec.1-5).
Image gallery
Amitayus (buddha) (item no. 65215) Collection of Rubin Museum of Art
