Tantra: Enlightenment to Revolution at The British Museum

 

Sculpture of Raktayamari in union with Vajravetali. Bronze with turquoise, gold and pigment, Tibet, 16–17th century.
© The British Museum

 
 

Tantra

Enlightenment to Revolution

September 24, 2020 – January 24, 2021

 

Explore the radical force that transformed the religious, cultural and political landscape of India and beyond in this landmark exhibition.

A philosophy originating in medieval India, Tantra has been linked to successive waves of revolutionary thought, from its sixth-century transformation of Hinduism and Buddhism, to the Indian fight for independence and the rise of 1960s counterculture.

Centering on the power of divine feminine energy, Tantra inspired the dramatic rise of goddess worship in medieval India and continues to influence contemporary feminist thought and artistic practice. From its inception to the present day, Tantra has challenged political and sexual norms around the world.

Elements of Tantric philosophy can be found across Asia's diverse cultures, but it remains largely unknown – or misrepresented – in the West. The exhibition showcases extraordinary objects from India, Nepal, Tibet, Japan and the UK, from the seventh century AD to the present, and includes masterpieces of sculpture, painting, prints and ritual objects.

 
 
 

Click the image below to watch a guided tour of the Tantra: Enlightenment to Revolution exhibition.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Exhibition Highlights

 

Erotic mithuna (‘couple’) sculpture. Red sandstone, India, late 10th century. Funded by the Brooke Sewell Permanent Fund.
© The British Museum

Bronze sculpture of Karaikkal Ammaiyar, Tamil Nadu, India, late 13th century.
© Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Granite sculpture of a Yogini goddess, Tamil Nadu, India, 10th century AD.
© The British Museum

Painted and gilded clay figure of Kali striding over Shiva, Bengal, Eastern India, late 19th century.
© The British Museum

Sculpture of Raktayamari in union with Vajravetali. Bronze with turquoise, gold and pigment, Tibet, 16–17th century.
© The British Museum

Stone figure of the god Bhairava, India, Hoysala dynasty about 1200-1250.
© The British Museum

Sandstone figure of the goddess Varahi, India, Paramara dynasty, AD 800-900.
© The British Museum

‘Khatvanga’ (ceremonial sceptre), China, about 1403-1407.
© The British Museum

Erotic maithuna (‘sexual union’) sculpture. Sandstone, Maharashtra, India. 11th century.
© The British Museum

‘Thangka’ with four ‘mandalas’, Tibet, 1500-1550. © The British Museum

‘Thangka’ with four ‘mandalas’, Tibet, 1500-1550.
© The British Museum

‘Thangka’ (painting on textile) of Chakrasamvara in union with the goddess Vajrayogini, Tibet, 18th century.
© The British Museum

 
News 6, Exhibitions 1Editorial TeamArt of the Ancestors, Steven G. Alpert, Asian Art, Island Southeast Asian Art, Oceanic Art, Asiatica, Ethnographica, Ethnographic Art, Art Collection, Fine Art, Primitive Art, Indonesian Art, Tribal Art, Eyes of the Ancestors, Dr. Reimar Schefold