Korea Myanmar

Museum Shows Myanmar Embroideries

Above and Bottom, works of Myanmarese embroidery that are on display at the Museum of Korean Buddhist Art. The museum features 30 pieses of Myanmarese embroidery that use elaborate materials such as gold and sliver thread, pearls, marbles, gem stones and metals until Sept.28.
/ Courtesy of Museum of Korean Buddhist Art



By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

The Museum of Korean Buddhist Art is holding a special exhibition of Myanmarese embroidery.

It is the second Southeast Asian Buddhist art exhibition since the museum hosted the ``Laotian Buddhist Sculpture Exhibit'' last year.

The exhibition presents 30 pieces of Myanmar embroidery, which are exotic and flamboyant, a rarity in Buddhist art, which mostly include paintings and sculptures.

Myanmar is called the ``nation of Buddha pagodas and Buddhist monks,'' which shows how the religion dominates the country.

As Buddhism is deeply rooted in the lives of the Myanmar people, most of the embroidered works involve Buddhist symbolism.

The traditional embroidery of Myanmar uses elaborate materials such as gold and silver thread, pearls, marbles, gem stones and metals.

The exhibition is designed to introduce the uniqueness of Buddhist culture in South East Asian countries though showing off a variety of historic relics.

On the first and the second floors, a variety of embroidered fabrics depicting the life and good deeds of Sakyamuni are on display.

Beside the embroidered fabrics, six other Buddhist artworks including sculptures and paintings from Myanmar are presented to provide a window into their lives, culture and beliefs.

South East Asian countries are known for textile artworks from the ancient times, which shows the ancestors' beliefs, religion, customs and culture.

Also, the fabric artworks were often regarded as incarnated ancestors with spirits in South East Asian countries. So the textiles were hung on the wall when people held a festival or a ritual ceremony to give thanks to their ancestors.

The museum explains why some artworks feature Buddha as a king, servant, or peasant; or as an animal such as an elephant, lion, deer, monkey, rabbit, peacock or fish.

Among others, the embroidered paintings depict the previous lives of Buddha that are divided into 547 stories, expressing Buddha as various entities such as man, elephant, deer and lion.

The museum was established in July 1993 as a private museum located near Changdeok Palace in central Seoul.

Traditional Korean Buddhist works, which display the joys and sorrows of life and express a longing for the wishes of all living beings, have historically been regarded as not only the spiritual foundation, but the precious cultural heritage of the Korean people.

The museum has collected over 6,000 Korean Buddhist works including paintings, sculptures, crafts, ritual items, folk items and ceramics.

The exhibition will continue through Sept. 28. Admission is 3,000 won for students and 5,000 won for adults.

chungay@koreatimes.co.kr