Hindu Art or Hindu Artifact? Museums and (Objectifying?) Hindu Objects
THE HUFFINGTON POST
By Deepak Sarma
Another good question concerns the treatment, handling, and contextualization of Hindu objects in museums. Should they be there? Should they be "repatriated" if they were obtained illegally? Are they art? In whose eyes are they considered art? Or are they artifacts? In the Hindu context one may wonder if any sculpture that was once part of a Hindu temple should be on display in an art museum. Would a museum be required to treat all artifacts in the same way, if they were revered at one time? Would museums displaying Islamic artifacts, for example, require patrons to remove garments made from pig leather? These good questions aside, one must still decide if the item is a merely an artifact or is art. What do you think? [link]
By Deepak Sarma
Another good question concerns the treatment, handling, and contextualization of Hindu objects in museums. Should they be there? Should they be "repatriated" if they were obtained illegally? Are they art? In whose eyes are they considered art? Or are they artifacts? In the Hindu context one may wonder if any sculpture that was once part of a Hindu temple should be on display in an art museum. Would a museum be required to treat all artifacts in the same way, if they were revered at one time? Would museums displaying Islamic artifacts, for example, require patrons to remove garments made from pig leather? These good questions aside, one must still decide if the item is a merely an artifact or is art. What do you think? [link]
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