NEW YORK.- Wutaishan is an extensive complex of mountains composed of a group of five towering, flat-topped peaks. Located in Shanxi Province, China, Wutaishan has been famous throughout the Buddhist world since the seventh century as the earthly abode of Manjushri, Bodhisattva of Wisdom. As the home of an important deity in the Buddhist pantheon, this sacred mountain has a long history as a site of convergence. Wutaishan: Pilgrimage to Five Peak Mountain utilizes RMA’s permanent collection to delve into the multifaceted history of this mountain, examining it as a site of transnational pilgrimage where the interaction between the Chinese, Manchus, Mongolians and Tibetans fostered a multiculturalism representative and endemic of Himalayan art.

The exhibition is curated by RMA Curatorial Fellow, Karl Debreczeny, with RMA Senior Curator, Jeff Watt. This is an RMA “signature” exhibition which brings together many cultures of the Himalayas and surrounding regions and a multitude of ideas. The focal point of the exhibition is an intricately-detailed, hand-painted woodblock print map of Wutaishan, created in the 19th century by a Mongolian monk at a monastery on Wutaishan, called Cifusi. Six feet wide, this rare map offers a panoramic view of Wutaishan which can be read as both a primary historical record of the lay of the land and as a declaration of the political primacy of Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhism, claiming Mongolian ethnic and sectarian identity over the mountain.

The blurring and intertwining of religious, state, ethnic, and even artistic identity is rich terrain traversed in Wutaishan: Pilgrimage to Five Peak Mountian. With the map as a starting point, the exhibition offers alternating views of Wutaishan, from wide-scope exploration of multiculturalism and identity in the Himalayas to closer looks at various forms of artistic representation of Manjushri and ritual life.

RMA is pleased to have the opportunity to work closely with Columbia University by planning Wutaishan: Pilgrimage to Five Peak Mountain in conjunction with Columbia’s international conference, “Wutaishan and Qing Culture,” being held at RMA May 12 – 13, 2007.