The exhibition “DONGBA, from Naxi Pictograms to Contemporary Art”, the first dedicated to Naxi identity and Dongba culture in Europe, is held at the Museum of Asian Arts until April 5, 2020.
From pictograms to contemporary art, through mythology and costumes, this exhibition, both ethnological and artistic, is a true invitation to travel.
An unprecedented exhibition in Europe on Dongba culture
The Naxi are an ethnic minority living in the southwest of China, at the junction of the Yunnan, Sichuan provinces, and the Tibet Autonomous Region.
This unique society has developed at this crossroads of cultural, commercial, and religious exchanges for centuries. The Dongba shaman-priests (“Those who know”) are the primary custodians of their traditional and sacred knowledge.
Organized in partnership with the Confucius Institute Côte d’Azur, the Otto Gallery, and the Lijiang Teachers College, the exhibition presents the religious environment of the Naxi through manuscripts, paintings, costumes, and instruments still used today by the Dongba masters during ritual ceremonies.
The event also provides an opportunity to showcase the place of this tradition in contemporary creation, with a selection of works by leading Naxi artists.
