Shattering the Void: Realms of Meaning in East Asian Art
Exhibition Overview
Rachel Straughn-Navarro, curator
Shattering the Void presents works of art that represent both everyday life and mystical realms within Chinese, Korean, and Japanese cultures. The artworks in this exhibition illustrate some of the foundational ideas in East Asian cultures, including longevity, transcendence, and related myths and legends. These loftier considerations of longevity and transcendence both contrast and connect with the earthly practices of calligraphy and communication, tea ceremonies and cultural exchange, as well as personal adornment and social life. Through the contemporary works of art that consider both myth and everyday life, present-day artists challenge us to consider how cultural and spiritual realms of understanding can be built across the voids of time and space.
This exhibition is part of the Freeman Foundation K–12 Educational Outreach Initiative, which provides Kansas communities access to East Asian culture through the Spencer Museum’s permanent collection. To learn more about this initiative and the exhibition, please see the brochure available in this gallery.
All of the content in the exhibition, along with supplementary resources, is available through the Spencer Museum’s free app, which is available to download on iOS and Android.
Works of art
