Monk Photographs of Sheila Rock

Tuesday, 19 August 2008 23:03

Storrs, CT - Sheila Rock’s Sera: The Way of the Tibetan Monk is a photographic document of the daily life of the Tibetan monks of the Sera Monastery in southern India's Mysore District and a visual essay on a state of mind. On exhibition 26 August through 19 December, 2008.
 
When fashion and portrait photographer Sheila Rock first visited Sera Monastery in 1998, she was struck by the quietude and serenity of the place and the individuals. The following year, she returned to photograph the monks and novices individually and in groups. Her use of a plain backdrop visually removed the figure from the context of the monastery and focused attention solely and intensely on the subject. Despite the language barrier and Ms. Rock's feeling that she "was working completely visually,” her intuitive visual aesthetic instilled in these portraits the mind of the subject and the compelling beauty of the imagery.
 
Ms. Rock's photographs of the monks in their rooms, at work, at prayer, at play, and gathered at ceremonies are artistically different from the individual portraits. Yet they share one quality that is expressive of the personality of the monks individually and collectively: a mutual joy for one another’s company and the life that has been chosen for them.
 
Sheila Rock’s images speak clearly of a Buddhist adherence to a life of meditation and learning and the quest to overcome humanity’s strife, anxiety, and venality. Artistically, she has created a body of works that is both inspired and inspiring.

The William Benton Museum of Art - University of Connecticut - 245 Glenbrook Road - Storrs, CT 06269
www.thebenton.org  - Ph 860.486.4520

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