Ragamala: Garland of Melodies

ROM celebrates South Asian Heritage Month with new exhibit

Opening in May during South Asian Heritage Month in Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) presents Ragamala: Garland of Melodies, a new exhibit exploring Ragamala painting, a genre of South Asian miniature painting that was prominent between the 16th and 19th centuries. On display in the special exhibits case in the Sir Christopher Ondaatje South Asian Gallery until November 28, 2010, the 30 objects feature new acquisitions, as well as never-before-seen artifacts from the ROM’s collections.

Originating in western India, Ragamala painting came out of artistic workshops of the Rajasthani kingdoms from where they spread southward to the Deccan and later northward to the Pahari region (now in the state of Punjab). Ragamala painting is a confluence of three artistic forms: music, poetry, and painting. They are illustrations of poetic verses composed to go along with codified modes of classical Indian music (ragas). Love and its myriad forms is the dominant theme in the paintings that illustrate various scenes of romantic encounter, anticipation of that encounter, and longing for the beloved.

More than half the objects on display are paintings, many of which have been newly acquired as part of the Charles Green Collection and on display for the first time. Complimenting the paintings is a display of musical instruments from the ROM’s collections that would have made up a North Indian music ensemble, many of which can be seen being played in the paintings. The exhibit also includes a large painted textile depicting the Hindu epic The Ramayana, a story of the triumph of good over evil, which would have been used as part of a performance that included music, singing, and possibly dance. In this way, the exhibit is about a larger theme: the fluid boundary between artistic forms that is an inherent characteristic of South Asian culture.

The exhibit was curated by Dr. Deepali Dewan, ROM Curator of South Asian Visual Cultures, with the instrument section co-curated with Ameera Nimjee, University of Toronto M.A. student in Ethnomusicology. A media station, curated by Dr. James Kippen, Professor of History and Culture in the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, presents the musical counterparts to the paintings on display and will be installed later in the summer.

SOLODANCE: Perspectives from South India and Beyond

The ROM’s Friends of South Asia, in collaboration with inDANCE, present SOLODANCE: Perspectives from South India and Beyond, a special two-day dance symposium focusing on the South Indian solo dance form Bharatnatayam. This gathering of eminent scholars and international dance artists from around the world will examine and celebrate the evolution of South Indian dance with live performances and lively round table discussions on topics ranging from the history of courtesan dance in South India and transformations of solo dance in the twentieth century to issues of identity, nationhood and selfhood in contemporary solo dance. Short performances will range from solo works by leading performer Anita Ratnam of Chennai to neo-Baroque dance by Patricia Beaman of New York University. A roundtable on the afternoon of June 5 will feature Canadian solo dance legends Peggy Baker and Denise Fujiwara in conversation with Leela Samson, Swapnasundari and Anita Ratnam from India.

SOLODANCE: Perspectives from South India and Beyond

For inDANCE information click here.