GRANVILLE -- "Baptists in Burma," highlighting Denison University's unusual and fascinating collection of Burmese artifacts, is visually stunning.
Without bias, the display of Buddha sculptures, lacquered bowls, silver vessels, textiles, figurines and archived photos and documents reveals the complex nature of religious and cultural collision.
Originally allied with the Baptist denomination, Denison University -- along with the Granville community -- facilitated missionary journeys to Southeast Asia starting in the 19th century. The artifacts, carefully researched and presented, provide a snapshot of Burmese culture through Western eyes.
An essential question becomes the nature of the objects themselves. Collected by missionaries as curiosities and mementos, and with genuine anthropological fascination, the works are diverse and multifaceted. Some reveal an expected cultural diffusion, while others are produced clearly for a Western audience.
With its scholarly insight and beautiful display, the exhibit underscores the history of colonial expansion and the influx of Christianity in Burma.
More than 20 Buddha sculptures serve as an introduction to the show. As works of art, they are striking; as religious objects, they reveal a centuries-old faith tradition at odds with an evangelical mission.
A graceful gilded-bronze piece, Seated Buddha With Two Disciples , the Earth God and Four Chinthes (Lions) shows the Buddha in the earth-touching or Bhumisparsa mudra. With the right arm over his knee and fingers touching the lotus throne, the Buddha symbolizes his victory over the demon Mara's attempt to interrupt his meditations under the bodhi tree.
On one wall is a host of silver vessels produced by Burmese craftsmen for use mostly by Westerners. The ornamented objects indicate a profound disparity of wealth and status.
Another space consists of lacquered objects, storage boxes and offering bowls. Wonderfully crafted, many were surely collected for their beauty with little understanding of their function. One delicately painted cylindrical piece is simply titled Possible Letter Holder.
Two rooms offer textile bags, cloths and garments.
Another wall consists of a collection of small "ethnic" figurines. Nearby are journals and photos of a missionary's travels. The juxtaposition is telling in that it questions ideas of power, cultural imperialism and the gaze of the West.
The compelling exhibit offers a rare chance to see a great portion of Denison's Burmese collection -- one of the largest in the United States.
