Nachrichten und Veranstaltungen

Bhutaradhane is a unique tradition of spirit-worship patronized mainly by the Tulu-speaking Hindu community located along the west coast within the southern state of Karnataka in India. Various kinds of spirits (Bhutas) worship are practiced in this tradition, which is characterized by inextricable linkages between its rituality, visuality and materiality. In addition to being consecrated and venerated as sacred objects in Bhuta rituals, the Bhuta masks and sculptures have made their way into the museum spaces where they are exhibited as artefacts, valuable remnants and emblems of cultural heritage. This talk argue that museums as cultural intermediaries are not just repositories of objects but are political institutions that function as sites for construction of historical narratives.

The temples built during the period of the Hoysalas, a dynasty that ruled large parts of southern India from the 11th – 14th centuries, are known for their exceptionally rich, profuse and intricate figural carving. Two of the earliest such temples are the Chennakeshava temple in Belur and the Hoysalesvara temple in Halebidu, built in the early years of the 12th century. Both these temples underwent several modifications within a century of being constructed, including the additions of decorative stone screens, lintels and brackets. Some of these modifications to the temples were documented in lithic inscriptions. A close examination of discontinuities in the temples’ decorative schemes and sculptures points to several other likely architectural alterations and modifications in both these temples. This talk explores some of these additions to the two temples and the possible reasons that may have prompted them.

Despite arriving in British India in 1840, it was only in 1884 that Portuguese-held Goa got its first professional photography studio: Souza & Paul. This studio extensively photo-documented Goa in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, partnering with state authorities. In examining Souza & Paul’s archival photographs, this lecture inverts the gaze of colonial visuality; although the striking mix of European influenced architecture is meant to be the punctum of Old Goa’s late-nineteenth century photographs, it is the negative spaces - which hide the ruination of the city - that become its true punctum. The late-colonial state used the camera as a logistical tool, obscuring the ruination of Old Goa and the lack of new development. In the absence of new monuments, the administration utilised photography to showcase leftover monuments of the great imperial past to underscore colonial longevity so as to hold on to their powers during the era of decoloniality.

Building Identity: Architecture and Patronage in Goa During the Early Modern Period: Some of the biggest and most elaborate early modern churches in Asia were built in the ‘Old Conquests’ region of the state of Goa (India), administered by the Portuguese Empire until 1961 Several religious orders built their churches convents, and colleges within the city, as most of Goa’s indigenous population was converted to Christianity. During the early seventeenth century, Goan Catholic priests began striving for empowerment and recognition from the Portuguese and their Goan brethren, as they began taking over some of the parishes of Goa from the missionary orders. In this presentation, I will address the connections between identity, patronage and architecture during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in Goa, as the elite of Goan Catholic Brahmins became increasingly empowered in the midst of a racially bigoted colonial society.

Concert organised by SPIC MACAY Europe in collaboration with the Department of Asian and Islamic Art History Vocal by Dr. Nabanita Chowdhary and Debasish Bhattacharjee on tabla.

Live per Zoom: Mittwoch, 28.05.2025, 12.15 Uhr: Im Rahmen unserer BA- und MA-Seminare bieten wir einen virtuellen Rundgang durch das Dorf Korkadu (bei Pondicherry) in Südindien an. Herr Desigan wird uns in Begleitung von Frau Prof. Dr. Ulrike Niklas (online) durch das Dorf führen. Im Rahmen der Tour besuchen wir ein typisches Wohnhaus, die Wohnviertel un-terschiedlicher sozialer Schichten, sowie die wichtigsten Dorftempel. Anmeldung und Zoom-Link: schlage@uni-bonn.de

Going beyond the usual concepts of dependency relationships located within a post-colonial state, this new research project examines in greater depth how Indian conceptions of the body (depicted in art, iconography and in performance) have been impacted by a moral, religious Western perspective imposed before, during and post-colonial rule. The ‘moralising projects of colonial and post-colonial modernity’ as Davesh Soneji has termed them remain part o f the ‘unfinished pasts’ (2012: 3) of both the place and enactment of performative ritual and performance in India, from the roles of the female temple dancers, the devadāsīs, through to the itinerant folk dance and theatrical performers, and the ‘third gender’ or transgender performers – the hirijas and kothis. In this project I investigate aspects of ‘asymmetrical relations of dependence’ (Hegewald, 2023:8) and issues of empowerment as well as erasures of memory brought about by nationalistic agendas.

Women, Gender and Labour in the Artistic Practices of Patachitra (Scroll-Painting): Patachitra (scroll-painting) is a long-standing artistic tradition in the eastern Indian region where painting and singing come together in the community performances of the patuas or Chitrakars (scroll-painters). Drawing from my recently published book, The Poet’s Song: ‘Folk’ and its Cultural Politics in South Asia, this paper looks at the entangled issues of gender, labour and livelihood among the women artists. It focusses on the lives and work of two women—one a traditional patua and the other a kobiyaal (folk singer)—and how they have negotiated and challenged community expectations of gender roles. The research is based on fieldwork and interviews with these women in the Indian state of West Bengal.

Curating Indian Art in a Swiss Museum in the 21st Century: Museums and their staff, especially curators, are often perceived as conservative in nature - preserving ancient cultural heritage and collections. However, the job profile of a curator of Indian art today is very different from that of 25 years ago. Globally, museums have not only changed but have become agents of change themselves. This talk will present recent developments in collecting and curating exhibitions with a focus on the Museum Rietberg in Zurich, Switzerland's only museum of non-European art. Focusing on three recent exhibitions, it will explore new challenges in an increasingly globalized world, such as acquisition policy, provenance research, restitution claims, international collaborations, as well as audience-related issues such as inclusion, community engagement and participation. The paper concludes with a critical analysis of recruitment, training, and prospects in the field of Indian art history.