Roads of Arabia

October 20, 2012 - February 10, 2013

Paintings for the Mughal Court (working title)

July 28, 2012 - September 17, 2012

Worlds within Worlds: Imperial Paintings from India and Iran

July 28, 2012 - September 17, 2012
The exhibition features 50 of the finest folios and paintings from the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery collections, which together form one of the world�s most important repositories of Mughal and Persian painting.

Nomads and Networks: The Ancient Art and Culture of Kazakhstan

June 30, 2012 - November 25, 2012

Nomads and Networks is the first US exhibition to present a comprehensive overview of the ancient nomadic culture of Kazakhstan – roughly the sixth through first centuries BC, in the Altai and Tianshan regions of eastern Kazakhstan. The objects in the show come from every important museum in Kazakhstan. One gallery is devoted to never-before-seen finds from the elite tombs at Berel, a fourth-third century BC cemetery located near the Russian/Chinese border, where local permafrost conditions allowed for the preservation of organic materials. Exhibited for the first time anywhere will be saddles made of wood, leather, and felt, and expertly carved wood or horn horse trappings that display fascinating hybrid mythical animals such as griffins, sphinxes, and horned tigers, often covered with tin- or gold-foil.

The exhibition also features petroglyphs, rock carvings that marked important places in the landscape, and other objects displayed by the themes of environment, society, and networks. Dazzling gold adornments found in hordes at Zalauli and Kargali mark the social status of those who wore them and illustrate the broadly interconnected world of the Steppe in the mid- to later first millennium BC. The specific designs and techniques illustrate contact via far-reaching networks and show clear iconographic, compositional and technical influence from neighboring cultures, most notably from China to the east and Persia to the west.

Perspectives: Minouk Lim

Now - March 18, 2012
Pavilion, Street Level

The Four Major Rivers Restoration Project, one of the largest construction projects in South Korea's history, has elicited considerable debate. In response, Seoul-based artist Minouk Lim staged a performance as the basis of her video The Weight of Hands. Capturing this silent ritual with a thermal imaging camera, Lim questions the effects of dramatic environmental change on the individual's sense of place and self.

Reinventing the Wheel: Japanese Ceramics 1930-2000

Indefinitely
Sublevel 3

The Sackler collection represents significant trends in Japanese ceramics since the 1930s, when traditional workshop masters took on new roles as studio potters alongside artists in other media. Potters at regional kilns revived ancient firing and glazing technology for use in expressive new vessel forms. In postwar Kyoto, ceramic artists departed from conventional ideas of function to create sculptural forms. Today's potters sample at will from these trends, blending meticulous skill with daring reinterpretations of shapes and materials.This installation of highlights works by legendary Living National Treasures to young virtuosos of the present day.

Ancient Iranian Ceramics

2012 (TBA)
Sublevel 1

Some 3,000 years ago, in the area south of the Caspian Sea in what is now modern Iran, craftsmen developed a distinctive type of pottery. Featuring some of the outstanding treasures in the museum's collection of ancient Iranian ceramics, this small installation celebrates the talents of these ancient Iranian potters and showcases the high quality of their crafted works.

Sculpture of South Asia and the Himalayas

Indefinitely
Sublevel 1

On view are Hindu stone, bronze, brass, and terra-cotta sculptures from South India, dating from the 10th century through the 18th century. Highlights range from a majestic stone image of Shiva Dakshinamurti (Lord of the South) to a fierce gilded bronze of Palden Lhamo, the deity who protects Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. Also on view is the beloved elephant-headed deity Ganesh, who is the god of new beginnings and the remover of obstacles.

Pakistani Truck

Permanent Exhibit
On the National Mall during the Folklife Festival

Pakistani Painted Truck: The truck was part of the 2002 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Truck painting is an art form in Pakistan; trucks from all over the country converge at the port city of Karachi to pick up goods and have their vehicles decorated. Imagery includes scenery, monuments, saints, and auspicious designs. Note: The truck has been on view periodically since summer 2002: in the Haupt Garden in front of the Sackler entrance after the 2002 Folklife Festival closed through November 12, 2002; in the Haupt Garden in front of the Sackler entrance between May 23, 2003, through summer/early fall 2003; and has been on view at every  Folklife Festival from 2004 to 2007.

Jananne al-Ani (working title)

Now - January 27, 2013