Durga: Avenging Goddess, Nurturing Mother

Monday, 10 October 2005 13:51

PASADENA, CA.-The Norton Simon Museum presents Durga: Avenging Goddess, Nurturing Mother, a 5,000-square-foot exhibition exploring the many incarnations of the great Hindu goddess Durga and the ways she is depicted throughout South and Southeast Asia. The exhibition opening this fall will coincide with Durga Puja, a 10-day festival honoring the goddess that is held every autumn in Bengal and in communities throughout the world. Approximately 70 artworks from India, Tibet, Nepal and Southeast Asia will be featured, among them rare works on paper including watercolor folios and folding manuscripts, a festival altar and exceptional bronze and stone sculpture, many of which have never been seen by the public. These works illustrate the dual nature of the goddess, that is, Durga as a fierce and strong warrior, bearing a variety of weapons in her many hands while she battles a host of demons, and Durga as a loving and protective mother, playfully caressing her young child or holding an abundance of fruit, which symbolizes her powerful fertility. In conjunction with the exhibition, the Museum will present a series of public programs, including lectures, dance performances, children’s workshops, a symposium, a film screening, and exhibition walkthroughs.

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