Ever met an occultist who wasn’t even a little bid morbid? Yeah, me neither. After all, we are devoted to exploring the unseen realms which could be seen as including that of some form of afterlife. So, this NY Times survey of museums hosting exhibits that examine various visions of the otherworld seems to be on message. This article begins:
‘It is a journey we all make. But is its destination — what Hamlet called “the undiscovered country from whose bourn/No traveler returns” — merely an abrupt conclusion? Or is it the beginning of another existence?
‘Religious leaders, artists and ordinary people have been grappling with these questions for millenniums. And now several museum exhibitions are doing the same, with results that are surprising, poignant and even comic.
‘According to studies, “most people in the world believe in some sort of afterlife, even those who have no specific religious affiliation,” said Elena Pakhoutova, senior curator of Himalayan art and the organizer of “Death Is Not the End” at the Rubin Museum of Art in Manhattan.
‘Objects reflecting those convictions may be especially comforting because of the Covid-19 pandemic, whose arrival subtly reshaped — and often postponed — the plans for these shows. The Rubin, for instance, has made “Death Is Not the End” part of “Life After,” a thematic focus for 2023. On view through Jan. 14, the exhibition examines attitudes toward mortality in both Tibetan Buddhism (the museum’s specialty) and Christianity.’
Read the whole schmear:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/26/arts/design/museums-death-afterlife.html.
