GAINESVILLE, FLA.- The
Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida is marking the five-year anniversary of the opening of the David A. Cofrin Asian Art Wing with a new exhibition titled Show Me the Mini. The exhibition features more than 100 miniature works from the Harns Asian art collection dating from the Neolithic period to the present. Show Me the Mini opened March 21, 2017 and is on view through Nov. 25, 2018.
The art of miniatures takes many forms and exists across time and cultures. The exhibition highlights the exquisite skills required to create these masterful works of art while addressing issues of size, scale, modeling, ownership, production, and historical and contemporary functions of miniatures. The art on view includes bronzes, ceramics, glass, jades, lacquers, paintings, portraits and woodblock prints with the majority of the objects measuring no larger than the human hand. Artists are from China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia with the earliest works created from Chinas Longshan Culture (3,000-1,900 BCE) to video and sculptural works by contemporary living artists.
We are pleased to celebrate the five-year mark of the opening of the David A. Cofrin Asian Art Wing with this exhibition, said Harn Cofrin Curator of Asian Art Jason Steuber. The purpose of building the wing was to provide a larger space in order to delve deeper into our Asian art collections and create unique exhibitions such as this one. The art of miniatures is often an overlooked theme in Asian art and the exhibition presents a rare opportunity to remind viewers that art comes in all shapes and sizes.
Themes addressed in the exhibition include: perspective and scale, the five senses, collecting, multiples, religion, cricket culture, and games. A family guide and mini activity pack accompany the exhibition and offer ways for families to connect with the art on view.