‘Traditional Art as Living Practice’ Exhibition Opens

This month saw the opening of the first exhibition dedicated exclusively to the work of research students (MPhil and PhD) and research alumni from The Prince’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts.

‘Traditional Art as Living Practice’ is presented in the beautiful surroundings of the Garrison Chapel, creating a space of calm and unity in the centre of busy London. The exhibition showcases the breadth and depth of the artistic research carried out at the School over the past decades and highlights the importance of research through the practice of the traditional arts. This research contributes to nurturing and renewing the knowledge of past generations so that it might enrich our lives today, and in the future. Open until the 24th of November, we invite those of you who have not visited to come and experience this exhibition of the work of contemporary artists working within, and inspired by, tradition.

Focusing on recovering and reinvigorating traditions of making, which were used for centuries but are now often compromised or forgotten, artist-researchers at the School create their own pigments or natural dyes, prepare their own paper, canvas or gesso, and use processes, prototypes and practices from the past to create the diverse group of artworks on display, from painting, to ceramics, embroidery, and sculpture.

Many of the artists exhibiting are particularly interested in the staying power of some works of art over others. They are attracted to the capacity of some works of art to continue to move us over time and to support devotional, meditative and contemplative practice. They see exemplary historical artworks as a dynamic source of both inspiration and technical knowledge that can be used in artmaking today. They are interested in sustainability; in materials and our involvement with them; in alternative areas of knowledge and different types of perception; in the relationship between aesthetics and devotional or religious practice; in discovery through practice; and the enigmatic nature of creativity itself.

The idea for the exhibition grew out of discussions with current research students and feedback from our newly formed research alumni group, set up by Drs Katya Nosyreva and Susana Marin, both graduates of the programme. One of the most positive outcomes of the exhibition has been to see current research students and alumni coming together. The relationships that are developing provide inspiration and support for all of these artists who are passionate about the continuation and renewal of the traditional arts, and are working in many parts of the world to continue the work of the School and support the revitalisation of the traditional arts in the 21st century.

To recover ways of doing and understanding art from the past often involves researchers drawing on aspects from many different sources to piece together the full breadth of practice used to make works of art that supported ritual, religious or spiritual practice. It involves prolonged engagement with materials as a part of the creative process, attending to the smallest details, and working always by hand and often with handmade tools. Researcher’s encounters with traditional art, and working with others who engage in making traditional art today, opens new pathways for practice and illuminates the depth of aesthetic and spiritual experience.

Despite the apparent diversity of our artist researchers, and while the artworks exhibited may have their roots in, or be inspired by, Islamic, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, or other traditional arts, while they might come from as far away as China or Nepal, or as close as London, this exhibition reveals the subtle threads which connect the traditional arts across time and space allowing them to continue to captivate, inspire, and transform artists, as well as others who encounter them.