Orientations

Orientations is a bimonthly print magazine published in Hong Kong and distributed worldwide since 1969. It is an authoritative source of information on the many and varied aspects of the arts of East and Southeast Asia, the Himalayas, the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East, from the latest scholarly research to market analysis and current news.

The Silk Road has captured the imagination of many, not only as a historic trade route that facilitated the exchange of goods, culture, religion, ideas, and people, but also as a symbol, conjuring up romantic images of traders crossing the desert and a sense of adventure. This fall, the British Museum will open ‘Silk Roads’, an ambitious exhibition that offers a fresh perspective by focusing on the period between the years 500 to 1000. It leverages the British Museum’s own vast collection and also includes significant loans from 29 partners to highlight the historical importance of Central Asia within this network. 

At the Rijksmuseum, 'Asian Bronze: 4000 Years of Beauty' traces the development of bronze casting in Asia from its prehistoric and protohistoric origins to modern and contemporary creations through a selection of 75 bronze pieces from across Asia. 

We look at the treasures accumulated and preserved over generations by important temples that will be exhibited in ‘The Legacy of Zen Temples: Shōkoku-ji, Kinkaku-ji and Ginkaku-ji’, which opens at the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art this October before travelling to the University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts, next March. 

Currently on view at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art until October, ‘Staging the Supernatural: Ghosts and the Theater in Japanese Prints’ highlights supernatural representations in Japanese prints. The exhibition theme was first formulated by the two curators as graduate students and later realized through key acquisitions, including the Pearl Moskowitz Collection. 

The Minneapolis Institute of Art continues to surprise with its extensive collection, including nearly a thousand Qing dynasty silk textiles that form one of the largest holdings in the West. The exhibition ‘Splendid Patchwork: Buddhist Monastic Robes’ focuses on just one area, Daoist and Buddhist ecclesiastical garments. The robes, which retain their traditional form and are worn either by high monks or in performances, are striking examples of artistry and imperial influence, fusing religious and imperial authority.