Asia:

Once again, the Oscar Niemeyer Museum goes beyond the limits of its walls, democratizing access to its collection and reaching even greater audiences. With the arrival of the exhibition “Asia: a Mão do Povo” (“Asia: the Hand of the People”) in Cascavel, MON legitimizes this space where, since 2022, it has shared part of its great collection.

It is important to point out that this would not be possible without the special attention that the State of Paraná, especially through the Secretariat of Culture, has dedicated to this important sector, always prioritizing the decentralization of the arts so that it reaches all audiences. It is a careful and sensitive management, which believes in the transforming role of culture.

The moment is especially important for MON, which is now one of the great international museums. The size and relevance of its collection, which has quintupled in recent years and has become more comprehensive, were fundamental in this trajectory, in which the importance of the Asian art collection is immense, with almost 3 thousand works, donated to MON by the diplomat Fausto Godoy.

The show presented here is a part of this collection, which, due to its size and grandeur, is renewed and constantly surprises us with works that have never been exhibited before. Disputed by other institutions in Brazil and by collectors from abroad, the Asian collection that belongs to MON – and the people of Paraná – allows for countless readings and approaches. 

In this new edition, the curatorial proposal is to show that Asian art manifests itself in its most varied forms, and can be present in items of our daily lives, which allows us to make an interesting reflection. MON's main purpose with this itinerancy is to facilitate dialogues between cultures and territories through art. The exhibition instigates and demonstrates that multiple and transversal knowledge crosses cultures, territories, and times.

Juliana Vellozo Almeida Vosnika 

Chief Executive Officer
Oscar Niemeyer Museum

Two characteristics, principally, distinguish the arts of Asia from the West. One of them is the anonymity of the author. The second is the absence of a hierarchy between the so-called “fine arts” and the “applied arts”. Asian people perceive the world holistically; they do not distinguish between the beauty of a piece of furniture, a garment, or a tool, which would be "applied arts", in the West, and that of a painting, a drawing, or a sculpture, the "noble arts" - "fine arts" -, for example. Everything for him reflects the creative breath, the Divine Hand that unveils the designs of the intellect and the soul and embodies itself in creation. For this individual, there is as much beauty and magic in a kimono, bowl, or chair, for example, as there is in a painting or sculpture by a great artist. 

In some places, such as Japan and China, the greatest art, if you can call it that, is calligraphy, writing that unites thought, reflected in words, to the hand gesture that concretizes it. In the entire continent, the Sacred has no authorship. Almost nothing is known of the skillful hands that created the wonders of religious statuary in India and elsewhere on the Continent. The artist's devotion is immortalized in its work... and leaves, leaving no trace of memory. We are transient... the work remains!

We're referring to the oldest cultures on the planet, along with Egypt, the Middle East, and the pre-Columbian Americas. In this universe, the weight of tradition imposes aesthetic norms that last for generations, making the contemporary eye unable to distinguish the differences between a thousand-year-old pottery and another that is only a hundred years old, or even more recent, for example. Therefore, in China, the great craftsman/artist is the one who reveres their masters. This made it dedicate itself to creating work as similar as possible to the original, often even copying the dynastic seal that was affixed to the porcelain that had been ordered by the imperial court. Copy or reverence to the author and original creation?

The opulence of Indian works confronts the silence of Japanese aesthetics. For the Japanese, Wabi-sabi (侘寂) is an emphasis on the notion of impermanence that permeates all things. Myanmar, formerly Burma, is called the “Golden Country”, due to the amount of gold that covers its temples and Buddhist pagodas, as well as their images. Those who contribute to cover these sacred monuments earn merits that will enable a better future incarnation, on the way to Nirvana, when our corporeal existence will be transformed into pure energy and will escape the cycles of Samsara, earthly life filled with suffering. Austere Pakistan, on the other hand, refuses to show off its beauty and takes refuge in the sobriety of modesty that the Koran, the holy book, imposes. However, as we are human, affection escapes due to the excessively fanciful architecture of the truck bodies that cross its roads.

However, nothing better demonstrates the richness of Asian artisanship than textiles. From the rudimentary shawl to the richest garment, weaving is the vast and wise repertoire of the civilizations that created them; in the same way, the shapes that clay and wood carved.

The Asian soul manifests itself in its most varied forms, to our delight. This is the purpose of our exhibition.

Fatusto Godoy
Curator

An ode to the beauty of Asian culture and people. 

It is with great pride and honor that we receive the exhibition “Ásia: A Mão do Povo” (“Asia: The Hand of the People”). A valuable sample of the rich culture of different countries in Asia.

They are works of unique beauty from countries such as China, India, Bangladesh, Japan, Tibet, Myanmar, Bhutan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, and Afghanistan, which will be able to be seen and appreciated here in Cascavel, thanks to the partnership built from 2022 between the Government of the State of Paraná, the State Secretariat for Culture, the Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON) and the city of Cascavel.

I understand that fostering culture in our city and region is contributing to the development of our citizens, who excel in their creativity and inventiveness.

I would like to thank the collector Fausto Godoy for his generosity in making these jewels from the Asian continent available to the people of Paraná, as it was through his sensitive eye and persistence that it was possible to have such a rare collection that is representative of the culture of these peoples.

I have always believed that investing in culture is to foster the development of tourism and the generation of new jobs, leveraging local commerce and the creative industry in the city, bringing new currency and further boosting economic development.

In 2022, Cascavel received the title of 2nd Best City in Brazil and the recognition of the National Confederation of Municipalities – CNM – as a Cultural Pole of the South of the Country. 

Cascavel goes further, building the present with an eye on the future, knowing that actions such as the one by MON in Cascavel enrich us in knowledge and, by extension, enrich our own culture.

Leonaldo Paranhos da Silva
Mayor of Cascavel

The Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON) is one of the icons of culture in Paraná. Since 2022, the institution has established an unprecedented bridge in its more than 20 years of history with the city of Cascavel. The MON Cascavel “antenna” expanded the reach of the Museum and allowed residents of the entire region to have access to collections previously restricted to the capital.

Now, we have the immense pleasure of presenting “Ásia: a Mão do Povo” (“Asia: The Hand of the People”) to the region's population, an immersion in the tradition and history of this continent, so far away and so close to us at the same time. Asian culture enhances the formation of the culture of the cities in the west of the state, generating interest and identification.

By presenting this exhibition, MON advances in the consolidation of its cell and the state recognizes the importance of Cascavel as a cultural-tourist hub. As a daughter of this wonderful land, I proudly join this tribute.

One of the main missions of the Secretary of State for Culture is to promote the preservation and dissemination of cultural goods in a decentralized way. Within this framework, the numerous initiatives of public cultural policies that the Government of Paraná has undertaken fit into this framework.

MON's extramural initiative not only proves that the Museum is in tune with contemporary museum flows but is also the implementation of the public policy of cultural decentralization established in the state of Paraná.

Art and culture are fundamental for human development and the construction of a more just and egalitarian society. May this exhibition contribute to the formation of new viewers and citizens.

Luciana Casagrande Pereira
Secretary of State for Culture

It is with great pride that the government of the state of Paraná takes to Cascavel the exhibition “Ásia: a Mão do Povo” (“Asia: the Hand of the People”). There are more than 160 works, part of the collection of the Oscar Niemeyer Museum, which will now be presented in the west of the state, in yet another action to democratize art and culture in the state of Paraná.

We want more and more people from Paraná from all corners of the state, from large and small cities, to have access to music, theater, and exhibitions. 

Our government plan was designed to provide for this decentralization and, year after year, we are putting projects into practice.

The State of Paraná Symphony Orchestra now leaves the Teatro Guaíra stages and takes its repertoire to various venues in different regions of Paraná. Our Ballet also follows this path and invades squares in open-air shows. And what about the “Cinema na Praça” ("Cinema on the Square") and “Trilhando pelo Paraná” (“Hiking through Paraná”) programs, which offer movies and theater plays to the population of cities with less than 5,000 inhabitants with low HDI? 

It is a joy to see art reaching all people from Paraná, especially this place, the Municipal Theater of Cascavel, which, since last year, has been receiving clippings from the MON collection and, this time, it presents, under the curatorship of Fausto Godoy and Marco Baena, the beauty and particularities of Asian culture.

Carlos Massa Ratinho Junior
Governor of the State of Paraná

Kalamkari is a type of hand-painted cotton fabric produced in the Deccan region of south-central India, which was formerly part of the Muslim Golconda Sultanate.

Traditionally, these canvases illustrated the performance of minstrels, known as chitrakars, who moved from village to village to tell the inhabitants, on improvised stages, stories of Hindu mythology. This art is found on large panels in Hindu temples as well.

The Kalamkari mostly depicts the Ramayana and Mahabharata religious epics. However, in recent times, artists have extended this iconography and have begun to illustrate the Buddha, musical instruments, small animals, flowers, and some Hindu symbols.

Only natural dyes are used in this technique, which involves 23 extremely complex and time-consuming steps. Many families in the region of Andhra Pradesh who earn their living from it have practiced the art of Kalamkari for generations. It suffered a period of decline but was revived, in India and abroad, by handicrafts, which were much appreciated by British colonists as decoration for their clothing.

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A painting called Madhubani, also known as Mithila, is a form of art practiced in the Mithila region of India and Nepal. Its name comes from the style developed in the Madhubani district of Bihar state, India, where it originated. Women from several communities in the region traditionally practiced it.

Artists create these paintings using a variety of ways, including their fingers, sticks, paintbrushes, pens, and even matchsticks. Ink is prepared using natural dyes and pigments. 

These paintings are characterized by their geometric patterns that mostly portray people in association with nature, as well as deities from religious epics. They can also illustrate specific occasions like religious festivals, births, and weddings. Natural elements such as the Sun and Moon and religious plants such as tulsi (holy basil) are also recurring themes.

Usually, no space is left empty; the gaps are filled in by paintings of flowers, animals, birds, and even geometric designs. This art, which was passed down from generation to generation in families, remains alive and spread across the entire Mithila region.

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Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) is an ethnically diverse nation, with 135 distinct groups officially recognized by the government. They are grouped into the eight “major national ethnic races” defined by the legislation. They are Kachin, Karen, Karenni, Chin, Mon, Bamárs, Arakan, and Shan. Burmese or Bamars are the major ethnic group. They are a people of Sino-Tibetan origin and although there has been no reliable census in the country for over a century, preliminary estimates consider that they make up approximately 68% of the population. There are, however, many other unrecognized groups – including Chinese and Indian descendants who were displaced to the region by British colonists.

All of these ethnic groups have their languages, traditions, and beliefs, which contribute to the cultural density of the country and to the difficulty of managing such diversity.

Many religions are practiced in the country, most of the time non-confrontational, with the notable exception of some ethnic minorities such as Rohingya Muslims, who continue to be denied citizenship status and treated as illegal immigrants. 

About 89% of the population is adept at Buddhism; 4% of the population practices Islam; 4%, Christianity; 1%, traditional animist beliefs; and another 2% follow other religions, including Hinduism and East Asian religions.

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Daruma are Japanese folk dolls inspired by a real-life Buddhist monk. His birthdate is unknown, but it is known that he died in the year 528 CE. Born into a family of noble Brahmins in India, he went to China at a young age in search of developing his spirituality, reaching, according to legend, spiritual enlightenment following Buddhist precepts. He is credited with founding Zen Buddhism in the late fifth century.

Daruma is one of the main characters of Japanese folklore. Quite present in the daily lives of the population, the dolls are sold at the end and beginning of the year and in the Matsuri, religious festivals in Buddhist and Shintoist temples. Dressed in red, with a rounded shape and weight at the bottom, it picks itself up as soon as it is knocked over and gets back up again, no matter how many times it hits the ground. For that reason, it is considered an amulet for success.

A traditional habit is to make a wish by painting only one of the doll's eyes and, when the wish is granted, painting the other. This gesture, which can also be seen when the student is approved in the entrance exam, or when a candidate wins the elections, is related to the Kaigen ceremony, or Buddhābhiseka, in which Buddhist statues are consecrated and “receive their souls”.

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The Chin tribes of the Mrauk U region of Myanmar, close to the Bangladeshi border, are notorious for the intricate tattooing that covers the faces of women. Each area of the state has a distinct pattern. This way, it is possible to discern where a woman comes from by the pattern on her face.

There are three lines of thought on why Chin women are tattooed, although nothing has been formally reported. One historical reason given for this custom is that Burmese kings would travel to the Chin State and select beautiful girls for their harem; tattooed, they became undesirable. It was therefore a way for fathers to protect their daughters. Another narrative is that neighboring tribes kidnapped girls, so giving them a distinctive tribal mark was a prevention tactic. Some say that the inhabitants of these villages claimed that it was a belief among the Christianized Chin community that only tattooed women would go to heaven. As staunch believers of Christianity, this would be a plausible reason.

For more than a millennium, the Chin community has tattooed the faces of their young women. However, the authorities, who prohibited it in the 1960s no longer allow this practice nor is the younger generation interested in following this tradition. Only a handful of these tattooed women currently exist. Therefore, this part of Chin culture will soon disappear.

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O Nakshi Kantha, um tipo de colcha bordada, faz parte de uma tradição centenária em Bangladesh e nos estados de Bengala Ocidental, Tripura e parte de Assam, no nordeste da Índia. Os materiais básicos utilizados são a linha e um pano velho. Como qualquer outra arte popular, a sua criação é influenciada por fatores como os materiais disponíveis, as necessidades diárias, o clima, a geografia e fatores econômicos. 

Kantha consiste no ponto mais simples na linguagem do bordado – o chamado “ponto corrido”. Mesmo que nenhuma simetria estrita específica seja seguida, a maioria dos Kanthas terá um ponto focal, em torno do qual os temas se desenvolvem. Os motivos do Nakshi Kantha são profundamente influenciados pelas crenças religiosas e pela cultura. Eles podem incluir imagens de flores e folhas, pássaros, peixes, animais e pessoas.

Provavelmente, a forma mais antiga de Kantha foi a colcha de retalhos. As mulheres hindus, durante o século XIX, usavam formas humanas e de animais para contar histórias de deuses e deusas. E as mulheres bengalis foram se inspirar no rico folclore regional, bem como em histórias contemporâneas como tema para as suas composições. 

Hoje em dia, o Nakshi Kantha é tratado como uma forma tradicional de arte popular, mas serve também de inspiração para os melhores designers em suas criações de alta-costura.

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Central Asia has always been at a cultural crossroads. It is at the heart of the so-called Silk Road, the complex system of trade routes that stretched from China to the Mediterranean for millennia. Central Asian art reflects the rich history of this vast area, which is home to an enormous variety of peoples, religions, and ways of life. This diversity accounts for the remarkable combination of influences that underpin the multicultural nature of societies in the region.

Since the end of the second millennium BCE, the savannahs – which stretch from the Caspian Sea to central China and from southern Russia to northern India – have been home to migrant pastoralists who practice a mixed economy on the fringes of sedentary urban societies. These vast open areas are home to several tribes who lead nomadic lives living in yurts, which are tents that are pitched and unladen as they follow their herds. This way led its inhabitants to develop a specific range of textiles that they use as protection against the elements of nature, including felts, in addition to embroidery for decorating the environment. 

In this broad and unpopulated universe, music plays an important role as a community aggregator. In this context, string and percussion instruments are essential, especially to accompany the singing.

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Tibetan prayer flags are colorful rectangular fabrics that are hung along trails and mountain peaks high in the Himalayas. They are used for blessing the landscape and for other protective purposes.

Legend attributes its origin to the Buddha himself. They traditionally come in sets of five. The five colors represent the five elements and the Five Pure Lights. Different elements are associated with these colors, reflecting different traditions and purposes. Blue symbolizes the sky and space; the white, the air and the wind; the red symbolizes the fire; the green, the water, and the yellow symbolizes the earth.

Traditionally, prayer flags have been used to promote peace, compassion, resilience, and wisdom. Tibetans believe that the prayers and mantras will be dispersed by the wind and will thus spread compassion throughout the space around them. 

These prayers become a permanent part of the universe as the images fade and disappear from exposure to the elements. As life moves on and is replaced by new life, Tibetans renew their hopes by continually installing new pennants alongside the old ones. This act symbolizes the acceptance of the changes in existence and the recognition that all beings are part of a larger and continuous cycle.

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Printing patterns with stamps onto textiles, usually of linen, cotton, or silk, using carved wooden blocks, is so closely related to other similar methods of creation such as painting, dyeing, and weaving. It is almost impossible to determine when this technique started to be used to decorate garments.

These blocks can be made from various species of wood. They vary considerably in size, however, they must always be between two and three centimeters thick, otherwise, they will warp. Printing requires great skill and patience on the part of the artisan so that the different shapes and colors that overlap to form the final design coincide, otherwise it will be blurred.

The vast majority of artisans use this method. The city of Jaipur, India, is considered one of the main centers of creation and manufacture of this form of craft in Asia. In the home ateliers scattered throughout, it is still possible to find chippas, a breed of typographer-artists who continue, day after day, to print large amounts of colorful cotton fabric using these hand-carved wooden blocks. They learned this craft from their fathers, who, in turn, were taught it by their ancestors – each generation operating almost exactly like the last for at least 300 years.

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Jamdani (জামদানি) is a fine muslin textile that mixes cotton and gold threads, which has been produced for centuries on the banks of the Shitalakhwa River in Bangladesh. It is one of the most time-consuming and labor-intensive ways of weaving on the manual loom. 

Historically, its production increased and became more sophisticated under the courtship of the Mughal Emperors, who dominated South Asia between 1526 and 1857. During British colonialism, the Bengali jamdani and muslin industries declined rapidly due to colonial import policies that favored industrial textiles. 

In recent years, its production has seen a renaissance in the country. In 2013, UNESCO declared the traditional art of jamdani weaving an “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”.

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The so-called “glove puppets”, known in China as “Bu Dai Xi” (布袋戏), are traditional puppets fitted like gloves in the hands of the performers who manipulate them. It is a unique form of entertainment that puppeteers often use to recreate scenes and legends from popular Chinese folklore.

This type of performance, which had its format developed in the province of Fujian, in the south of China, dates back to the 16th or 17th century, from when it spread throughout Southeast Asia, taken by Chinese migrants. However, researchers revealed that this type of narrative had existed in that region since at least 200 BC.

The puppets in this exhibition were created by the company “Ho Lo Fang Classical Puppet Art”, from Taipei/Taiwan. They are meticulously handcrafted and feature a great deal of detail, with distinctive facial features and embroidery on the garments, which in some ways replicate costumes from classical opera in China.

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The cult of Nats, the Burmese folk religion, pre-exists Buddhism, which was introduced in the Myanmar region by Emperor Anawrahta Minsaw of the Bamar dynasty in the 11th century. According to belief, these deities and animistic spirits regulate all events in the lives of people and society.

There are two types of Nats: the Nat Sein, who are human beings who were deified after death, and the other Nats, who are nature spirits (spirits of water, trees, wind, etc.).

The most important among them constitute a group collectively called the "Thirty-Seven", made up of the spirits of individuals who have died a violent death. They are called upon to protect the believer when duly propitiated and respected, and to harm when offended or ignored.

The Nats are appeased by offerings of food or flowers given on every important occasion. Among the special festivals of specific Nats are those that honor the Taungbyon brothers, who are said to have been executed in the 11th century, and the considered “King of the Thirty-Seven”, Thagya Min, who is associated with the Indian god Indra, who, in Hindu mythology, is related to the weather and the flow of rivers.

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Ceramic objects placed in the tombs depicted the daily life of the deceased. They began to be made from the 2nd century BC onwards to replace living beings that were sacrificed upon the death of an emperor, a member of the high nobility, or a military man, to accompany him and serve him in the afterlife. There was a belief that what was represented in the figures would become available to the deceased. The size and quantity of figures placed on the grave depended on the social class of the deceased.

The figures, called mingqui in Mandarin, often depicted servants, soldiers (in male tombs), and attendants such as dancers and musicians. The animals portrayed were most often horses, but there are a large number of camels, demonstrating the importance of trade, particularly through the Silk Road, which carried goods from China to the West. 

Human depictions were realistic to a degree unprecedented in Chinese art. There are also imaginary figures and monstrous "earth spirits" (the lokapalas), who guarded the tombs against attacks by spirits and humans. These figures were arranged in the shape of a funeral procession. The size and quantity of figures depended on the deceased's social class. 

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“Pabuji Ki Phad” is a heroic-religious painting that celebrates the epic of Pabuji, leader of the Rathore clan, of the Rajputs, from the desert of Rajasthan, India. He is a folk deity, also worshiped in parts of the Gujarat and Indus River Plain regions. 

According to legend, which dates back to the 14th century, his family lived in the village of Kolu. His natural mother had four children, two boys (Buro and Pabuji) and two girls (Sonalbai and Pemabai). But Pabuji was an incarnate deity, born of a celestial nymph, who had promised him that when he was 12 years old, she would return in the form of a mare to serve as his mount.  

His life and the battles he won to establish his clan's power are sung by traveling minstrels. They go from village to village narrating their deeds in front of a canvas covered with images that the artists illuminate, part by part, with the light of a candle, as the narrative unfolds in the desert nights.

The three basic features associated with this performance art form are: 1) the epic legend of Pabuji, extolled as an incarnation of the deity worshiped by the Rabari clan of Rajasthan; 2) the Phud, the long painting made of cloth depicting Pabuji's life and adventures; and 3) the bard minstrels, known as the Bhopas, who sing his story.

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Sumo (相撲) is a contact wrestling sport in which a rikishi (wrestler) forces another rikishi out of a circular ring (dohyō) or makes him touch the ground with any part of the body other than the soles of the feet.

This sport is generally considered a gendai budō (modern Japanese martial art). However, the sport has a history dating back centuries. Many ancient traditions are preserved. Even today, the sport includes many rituals, such as the use of salt fighting space purification, going back to the time when sumo was an intrinsic part of the Shinto religion. 

Wrestlers' lives are very strict and most of them must live in communal training camps, known in Japanese as heya, where every aspect of their daily lives – from meals to dress – is dictated by tradition.

Some Brazilian sumo wrestlers have competed in Japan.

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The Warli – or Varli – are a tribe that lives in mountainous regions and on the coasts of western India. They have animist beliefs, lifestyles, customs, and traditions of their own. However, because of the acculturation they were exposed to by other cultures in the region, they began to adopt many beliefs from Hinduism. 

The Warli speak the unwritten Varli language, which belongs to the larger Indo-Aryan language spectrum. In the book “The Painted World of the Warlis”, the writer Yashodhara Dalmia stated that the traditions of the Warli date back to 2500 or 3000 BCE. Their wall paintings are similar to those made between 500 and 10,000 BCE on the walls of cave caves in the Madhya Pradesh region, which demonstrates the ancestry of his art. 

The paintings on textiles use clay as a background and the paintings are made with rice paste. They show the daily life of society and some allude to ancestral deities that survived the presence of Hinduism. 

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Rickshaw is one of the main means of transportation in the urban areas of Bangladesh. With improved road communication across the country, the rickshaw now finds its way to rural areas as well.

The first rickshaws arrived in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, around 1930. They came from Calcutta, India, brought by European jute exporters, who imported them for their use. The new vehicle aroused great curiosity among the population, which was traditionally used for carriages, palanquins, and boats that navigate the city's canals.

Estimates suggest that rickshaws are now a source of income for almost three million people in Dhaka. They contribute around 50% of the value in the transport sector and employ individuals of various professions, not only as pilots but also as carcass builders.

In this way, a large number of people depend for their livelihood on the manufacture and decoration of rickshaws. This art form is primarily an urban phenomenon, dating back to the 1950s and sharing some similarities, in terms of thematics and execution, with the movie posters that are still hand-painted in the city's movie theaters today. This stems from the fact that many rickshaw artists also painted these billboards, or learned the craft from other sign painters.

This art is passed from the ustad (master) to the apprentice. There is a lot of copying, whether due to the popularity of some themes or the influence of the master artisan. Paintings are performed quickly, with ready-made enamel paints that do not allow mixing, so bright primary colors are the most popular. Painting, on the other hand, is flat, without shadows, perspective, or determined scale.

There are variations in rickshaw art in different cities in Bangladesh. Among the popular themes are movie scenes and portraits of movie stars. Artists do not always sign their work – instead, they replace their signature with the name of the garage owner or the rickshaw manufacturer. It is likely that with its increasing recognition – a collection of rickshaw paintings was donated to the Bangladesh National Museum – this art form will come to be recognized as such and artists will acquire increasing notoriety and even fame.

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The “matsuris” are traditional festivals that take place in various locations in Japan and in places on the planet where large Nikkei populations live. The Matsuri have their origins in the Shintō (Shintoism) religion. They were originally held to celebrate the deity (神 kami) of a shrine. This sacred dimension remains the main reason these festivals exist, which are an essential part of Japanese culture. They take the form of demonstrations of dance, music, food, and cultural attractions. There are hundreds of such events all over Japan, scattered across towns and cities.

Among the most important, some celebrate both feminine and masculine attributes and values that the Japanese consider as the ideals desired for their offspring. The custom of displaying dolls started during the Edo period (1603 to 1867 CE). In ancient times, people believed that they had the power to ward off evil spirits and thus protect the owner.

The dolls represent the ideals of beauty, kindness, grace, and hope for an auspicious future that parents wish for their daughters, like a good marriage, for example. These dolls are passed down from mother to daughter for generations. Thus, on the third day of March, Hina Matsuri – “Girls' Day” – is celebrated, when an “altar” is erected that displays an imperial court, a symbol of a rich and happy marriage.

On May 5th, "Boys' Day" (Kodomo no Hi) is celebrated. It is a moment when dolls of samurai warriors that celebrate masculine values are exposed, together with carp streamers, called koinobori, which are hung in the gardens and backyards of the houses. The dolls and helmets that represent samurai recall the values of Bushido, which is a code of conduct and way of life comparable to the “knight” in the medieval West. The concept originated between the 11th and 14th centuries, taking shape in the figure and life of samurai, between the 12th and 16th centuries, and transmuted into a code of honor, Bushido. 

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Boys' Day (こどもの日) is an annual public holiday in Japan on May 5. It is a festival designed to celebrate the personality of male children and to bring happiness to them. 

This festival – “Matsuri” – was designated a National Holiday by the Japanese government in 1948, but it has a long tradition in Japanese culture. Its roots go back to the “Tango no Sekku” (端午の節句), festival, originally the day when women purified the house with iris flowers, which were believed to be effective in repelling the evil spirits that haunted the homes. The festival was changed to celebrate masculine values during the Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333 CE) when the samurai class took control of power.

“Tango no Sekku” became, then, a ceremony destined to ward off evil spirits that came to persecute boys of the samurai class. Japanese armor, kabuto (helmets) and Japanese swords (katana) began to be exhibited in homes where there were boys. From the Edo period (1603-1867), dolls representing samurai (武者人形, musha ningyo), and pennants depicting carps (koinobori) were also displayed, which were hung in the gardens of residences. The carp, in Japanese culture, is a symbol of strength, persistence, bravery and success, as this fish is able to climb the steep currents of the falls without any help. 

These values have their roots in Bushidō, which is a code of conduct and way of life that can be compared to the medieval knight in the West. Great importance is attached to certain virtues such as frugality, loyalty, mastery of the martial arts, and honor, even death if necessary to preserve it. The concept originated between the 11th and 14th centuries, and took a specific form, embodied in the figure and life of samurai, between the 12th and 16th centuries. During the Tokugawa shogunate (14th-19th century CE), Bushido became the official code of conduct under Japanese feudal law.

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The term “Orientalism” describes the long historical process through which the Orient was constructed in Western minds, having as reference the concepts of the West, thus preventing us from considering Eastern cultures as they are and not as we perceive them.

This issue is fundamental to understanding Islamic civilization. Muslims consider the Qur'an inviolable. They believe that the Qur'an is the literal word of God (Allah) revealed to the Prophet Mohammed over the course of 23 years starting in 632 CE and constitutes the last of the holy books revealed to humanity. 

It defines laws for society that cover a wide range of topics such as the concept of the Divine, morality, individual and collective rights, and the economy, among many other issues. The Koran is, therefore, at the same time, a religious, ethical, and political code, in the broadest sense. It preaches equality among peoples, the right to a peaceful life, property, religious freedom, women's rights, and hospitality, among a wide range of topics. 

Muslims believe that Islam is the ultimate, complete, and universal version of a primordial faith that was revealed through prophets like Adam, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus Christ, among others. For them, these earlier revelations, namely the Torah and the Gospels – which are the mainstay of Judaism and Christianity – are considered to be the spiritual predecessors of the Qur'an and, as such, equally sacred.

There are two major Islamic denominations: the Sunni (85-90%) and the Shia (10-15%) followers on the planet. Although the differences between these two strands initially arose out of disagreements over Muhammad's succession, they have grown to cover a broader dimension, both theologically and juridically. 

Islamic peoples form just over 1/5 of the world's population. Muslims constitute the majority of the population in 49 countries. Around the world, approximately 12% of them live in Indonesia, the country with the highest Muslim population; 31% live in South Asia; 20% in the Middle East and North Africa; and 15% in sub-Saharan Africa.

However, one out of every three births on the planet is to a Muslim. In 2060, Muslims should tie with Christians, and even though these two religions should grow above the world rate (32%), according to forecasts, Islam will grow much more (70%) and Christians, less (34%).

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Shadow Theater, also known as shadow puppetry, is an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment that uses flat, articulated, cutout figures that are placed between a light source and a translucent screen.

The cut shapes of these dolls, most often made of cut and embossed leather, include translucent colors or other details. Several effects can be achieved by moving the puppets and the light source. A skilled puppeteer can make the figures appear to walk, dance, fight, wave, and even laugh.

Shadow Theater is popular with both children and adults in many cultures. Over twenty countries across the world are known to have shadow theater troupes. This is an old tradition with a long history in Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia. It forms a strong popular tradition alive in China, India, Iran, and Nepal. 

In India particularly, they are part of the religious culture. Their presentations generally take place on platform stages attached to Hindu temples; in some regions, they are referred to as Koothu Madams or Koothambalams. In many regions, plays are staged by traveling artist families on temporary stages during major religious festivals. 

The Hindu epics Mahabharata and Ramayana dominate its repertoire, although the details and stories vary regionally. The latter is particularly staged: it tells the story of the god-hero Rama in his struggle to rescue his consort, Sita, who had been kidnapped by the demon Ravana, King of Lanka. In this endeavor, the monkey-god Hanuman, portrayed in this exhibition by the leather piece from southern India, aids him.

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Wabi-Sabi (侘寂?) is both a philosophical ideal and an approach to life based on Zen-Buddhist concepts. It was introduced to Japan by Sen no Rikyu, through the tea ceremony, around the 16th century, during the Muromachi shogunate (1336 to 1573 CE). It is based on Buddhist teachings on the foundation of existence: anicca (impermanence); dukkha (suffering); and anatta (emptiness).

Literally, "Wabi" means simple, rustic, while "Sabi" refers to the beauty of age and the wear of time. As it is an exclusively Japanese expression, it does not have an exact translation into Portuguese or other languages. Its concepts focus on the transience and impermanence of both our existence and the things that surround us. In the face of this last reality – that is, our finitude – it becomes impossible to reach perfection, both for ourselves and for the world around us: everything passes and changes.

Through Wabi and Sabi it is possible to reach the emptiness of the mind, which brings us the tranquility and stillness that make us aware of this reality, both concerning the nature that surrounds us and ourselves. This finding encourages us to live a frugal life and to live with our insufficiencies and imperfections, inducing us to detachment.

Such concepts crystallize in the artistic production focused on nature and the rustic, the simple and the imperfect; for the natural look, anyway. This way of perceiving existence is reflected in the fondness that the Japanese dedicated to simplicity and subtlety.

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The art of decorating trucks and buses is very common in India and Pakistan. It is a way of demonstrating the wealth, power, and character of its owners. Many of these vehicles receive highly personalized liveries, which can cost thousands of dollars to make. Several of them contain themes and elements that remind truck drivers of home, as they may be away for months. 

In many cases, livery requires structural changes to the vehicle's bodywork: painting, calligraphy, and ornamental decoration, as well as front and rear mirror work; carved wooden doors are ways to draw the attention of passers-by to the vehicle, as are chains and pendants hanging from the bumpers. Such decoration is often performed in bus workshops. 

The aesthetic factor is so important that in cases where the owner hires the drivers, they often choose the vehicle for its beauty and richness of ornaments. The more pleasant its aesthetics, the better and more capable its drivers will be. 

In Pakistan, depictions of historical scenes, national heroes, and poetic verse are common. In India, motifs representing eagles, kites, calves, and catchphrases such as “HORN PLEASE” are omnipresent on the back of car bodies.

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The Naga are several ethnic groups native to northeast India and northwest Myanmar. These groups, which have similar cultures and traditions, make up the majority of the border population between the two countries.

They are divided into several ethnic groups that speak distinct languages and are loosely interconnected with each other within the Naga linguistic trunk, yet unintelligible to the others. This diversity of languages and traditions is probably the result of the multiple cultural influences that they assimilated during their successive migrations, many of them conflicting.

The Naga people love color, as evident in the shawls, which are designed and woven by women. The clothing patterns are traditional for each group. Varieties of seeds and beads are used in their clothes, along with a wide range of materials including glass, shells, stones, teeth or fangs, claws, horns, metals, bones, woods, seeds, hair, etc.

The history of the Naga people goes back centuries, but written records first emerged during the Ahom reign in the medieval period of Indian history (1228-1826 CE). The Naga lived an existence completely isolated from the outside world. This changed, however, in the 19th century, when they suffered from several invasions from neighboring kingdoms.

Throughout that century, they resisted attempts by the British to subdue them and abolish their traditional practices, such as headhunting neighboring tribesmen. In this confrontation, the colonial authorities responded by launching a successive series of punitive expeditions that ended the resistance and this practice.

Finally, in the 19th century, North American Protestant missionaries succeeded in converting many Naga to Christianity. This new context made them abandon many of their customs and traditions.

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Textiles are among the most significant manifestations of a culture and a certain time. They are language, concept, and material assets at the same time. They dress individuals, groups, ethnic groups, nationalities, and differentiate customs and even social classes. The clothes and fabrics also reflect the materials and technologies available in different times and different societies. 

The history of textiles is nearly as old as civilizations; and over time, it has been enriching and diversifying. There has always been disagreement among scientists as to when humans began to wear clothing as it is today. Anthropologists believe that the skins of animals and the fibers of vegetation that had been used to protect against cold, heat, and rain, from a certain moment on, also started to reflect taste – personal and group. Studies suggest that it was around 170,000 years ago that societies began to wear clothes as we understand them today. A sense of aesthetics was born: clothing was not intended to protect the body only but expressed the individual's personality and the aesthetics of the clan.

Asia predates Europe by three millennia in the weaving of cotton thread, one of the main, if not the main raw material for the manufacture of clothing since antiquity. Records on clay tablets dating from the 7th century BC already alluded to the trade of the product between Mesopotamia and the Indian subcontinent. The silk culture, on the other hand, originated in China in the Neolithic period. It remained confined there until the opening of the Silk Road, around the second century BCE, which, amid caravans, took the product to other parts of the planet, pioneering the path that made the fortune of the Chinese empire for more than a thousand years. With them followed the monks who spread the Buddhism that today prevails in several Asian societies. The Silk Road was not only an economic-commercial phenomenon, but also civilizational. 

Ethnic groups, therefore, have their identity concepts, ranging from aesthetics to deep-rooted cultural messages. The clothes he/she wears and the accessories he/she uses – jewelry, for example – reflect, in addition to the individual's taste, also the concepts that identify one or several groups, at a given time. Fashion evolution constantly changes these parameters; however, in the case of societies with strong traditions – the tribal ones, above all – it does not detract from their character. It is more of the same.

According to the report of the World Trade Organization, Asia is responsible for 59.2% of the world's production of clothes. China, specifically, is positioned as the largest exporter of clothing, followed by Bangladesh, with US$ 33 billion; Vietnam, with US$ 28 billion; and India, with US$ 17 billion. In other words, the world's largest textile exporters are in Asia.

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dates from between 500 and 100 BCE. One of India's most important literary works, the Ramayana has had a profound impact on the art and culture of not only the Indian subcontinent, but all of Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

The Ramayana is not just an ordinary story. It contains the teachings of ancient Hindu sages and presents the most fundamental concepts and values of religion through allegories in the narrative and the intersection of the philosophical with the devotional. The characters are central to the cultural consciousness of India.

It tells the epic of Prince Rama, from the kingdom of Ayodia, to rescue his wife Sita, who had been abducted by the demon Ravana, king of Lanka. 

Rama is the hero of this epic tale. Depicted as an incarnation (avatar) of the god Vishnu, he is the eldest and favorite son of the king of Ayodia, Dasharatha. The epitome of virtue, he is popular and adored by the entire population. Tired of reigning, his father decided to make him his successor and heir, but at the intrigue of his stepmother, Queen Kaikeyi, Rama was sent into exile for 14 years in the terrible Dandaka forest.

His wife Sita and his younger brother, Lakshmana, accompanied him and went into the forest with him. One day, the female demon Surpanakha, sister of the demon king of Lanka, Ravana, saw the beautiful Rama and was captivated. Taking the form of a beautiful young woman, she attempted to seduce him.  However, Rama, faithful to his wife, did not respond to her advance and asked her to look for Lakshmana, who also refused. Enraged, Surpanakha attacked Sita. However, Lakshmana saved her by cutting off the demon's nose and ears, which flew back to the kingdom of Lanka and told the episode to her brother, Ravana, a monster with many heads. The latter, upon hearing the story of the beautiful Sita, resolved to kill Rama to avenge his sister, kidnap Sita and take her to her palace in Lanka.

After several adventures, Sita was abducted by Ravana. Rama, along with Lakshmana, set out to rescue her in the kingdom of Lanka, which was across the ocean. As there was no connecting bridge, crossing it was impossible for any human, Rama then requested the help of the king of monkeys, Hanuman, who gathered his tribe and left in his defense.

After the war had been fought for some time, with varying results, and a great number of dead on both sides, it was decided that the victor would be determined by a single combat between Ravana and Rama, won by the latter: metaphorically, the victory of Good over Evil. 

Sita was rescued, but her happiness was short-lived. Rama received her coldly, saying that she could no longer be his wife after she had inhabited Ravana's palace. Sita assured him of her innocence, but in the face of Rama's continual rejection, she ordered a pyre to be built so that she could immolate herself on it, as she would rather die than live in Rama's contempt. He saw her enter the flames without a tremor. Soon Agni, the god of fire, appeared and received her unharmed in his arms. Her innocence was then publicly proved and Rama, whom she forgave, finally understood her behavior.

Hindus draw from this epic several moral lessons: Lakshmam's loyalty to Rama; the courage of the latter in facing all dangers to save his wife; the bravery of Hanuman and his clan, to fight for a cause which, in principle, did not concern them, but which they thought just; and, finally, Sita's faithfulness, who braved death to prove her innocence.

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The musical universe of Asia has a sound very different from what the Western ear normally perceives as harmonious. To capture this universe, it is necessary to disentangle ourselves from our concepts of euphony. The same applies to musical instruments. 

In the case of India, the vastness and richness of its cultural diversity are manifested in various and diversified ways, both in classical and folk music and even in contemporary music, such as in Bollywood films. This multiplicity is the fruit of several millennia of history and the great diversity of the population. It is important to include in this universe the multiple religious manifestations. In summary, the two great traditions of Indian classical music are Carnatic, which has been practiced for several millennia in the southern part of the continent, and Hindustani, which is found in the north, east, and central regions of the country. Musical instruments are equally varied. The most commonly used in Hindustani classical music are the sitar, the sarod, the tambura, and the sarangi, all of which are strung; the shenai, a wind instrument; and the tabla, a percussion instrument. In Carnatic classical music, the vina and the violin are mainly used.                                                    

Chinese music evolved from ancient times under the influence of religious, philosophical, and ideological doctrines. Today, it preserves the rich heritage of tradition while at the same time evolving into more contemporary forms, including in the “pop” universe. There are several classical instruments; among them, the flute, sheng, gong, bells, and erhu. Most of the music prevalent in China has a calm, repetitive sound; the traditional, essentially melodic songs, rarely have lyrics. There are three most popular types: Chinese opera music – mainly Peking Opera –, orchestral and solo instruments. Despite the Chinese belief that music is not composed for entertainment but to purify the mind, Chinese opera is aimed at entertainment.

Japanese music derives from very old traditions of popular culture and influences from the Asian continent that have been encountered throughout history, including that of Okinawa and the Ainu people of Hokkaido. Traditional music often includes gagaku 雅楽, or classical imperial court music, and shōmyō 称名, a form of Buddhist chant. Gagaku, heavily influenced by ancestor worship, is the oldest musical tradition in Japan; it arrived as Chinese court music in the early tenth century. The most prominent type of Japanese religious music is Shinto ritual music, or kagura (music of the gods), which preserves the myth of the sun goddess Amaterasu, the mythological creator of Japan. The short-necked lute (biwa), the zither (koto), and the flute (shakuhachi) were introduced from China in the early 7th century. The combination of these instruments, along with the transverse flute (shinobue) and the small and large drums constitute the main elements of traditional Japanese music. The most popular forms of songs include Enka and J-Pop.

It is not possible to talk about Korean (South) music without alluding to K-pop. This musical genre has some remarkable characteristics, but there are strong influences from other styles, including hip-hop, electronic music, rock, disco, and reggae, among others. South Korean music has varied forms and sources of influence, which result in globalized music, but maintain unique features. K-pop has become a major export from the 1990s onwards and it is one of the main drivers of the country's entertainment industry.

The music of Central Asia is as vast and unique as the many cultures and peoples that inhabit the region. The main types of instruments are the lute with two or three strings, the violins made of horsehair, and the flutes, mainly those with openings at both ends. Percussion instruments include frame drums, tambourines, and tympanums. Mainly lutes and violins achieve instrumental polyphony. In Mongolia, instruments such as the morin khuur or the horse-headed violin still survive today.

About the Islamic countries of Asia, it is worth mentioning Qawwali. It is a form of Sufi devotional chant originating in the Indian subcontinent, popular in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan and parts of India, especially its northern region, as well as Bangladesh. Originally performed at Sufi shrines or dargahs throughout South Asia, Qawwali gained international popularity and audiences in the late 20th century.

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All the major religions on the planet originated in Asia. In the western part, Zoroastrianism – the oldest monotheistic creed in the world – was founded by Zoroaster/Zarathustra in the steppes of Central Asia, near the Aral Sea, in the confines of ancient Persia, during the second millennium before the Common Era. It was the official religion of the Iranian empire for more than a millennium until its decline from the 7th century CE onwards with the arrival of the conquering Muslim Arabs. In chronological order, the inhabitants of the region of Galilee founded Judaism, the second monotheistic religion in history, which was followed by Christianity, and finally Islam. In 1610 CE, on the outskirts of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the prophet Muhammad was visited by the angel Gabriel, who revealed the Quran to him.

In the east of the continent, non-monotheistic religions prevail. India is home to many of them, including Hinduism, which is followed by about 80.5% of its more than 1.4 billion inhabitants. Buddhism originated in the north of the country and spread to China, Japan, and the southeast of the continent. It is currently the fourth-largest religion in the world and the third-largest in Asia, followed by 12% of its population. Significantly, today only 0.7% of the Indians, on whose soil Siddhartha Gautama the Buddha lived and preached, follow his teachings. On the other hand, almost all the inhabitants of Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia are devout Buddhists. 

India is also the birthplace of Jainism, which reveres the figure of the Tirthankaras, enlightened beings who, instead of transmigrating to moksha/nirvana, that is, to become pure energy, chose to remain on this plane to teach the path of redemption to their fellows. Still in India, there are other creeds, such as Sikhism, which has a dual character, that is, it believes in the existence of a single Creator and, at the same time, it believes in the transmigration of beings through several lives until they reach liberation. The Parsis, who adhere to the Zoroastrian creed inherited from the Persians, emigrated to India to escape Muslim invaders in the 10th century.

Taoism is one of the two major religions in China along with Buddhism. The Tao draws inspiration from nature and teaches us to observe its workings and learn from its wisdom. The Tao is not just a physical and spiritual road map: it is identified with the Absolute, which by division generated the opposites/complementary – the Yin and the Yang –, from which all beings and things were created. Shinto is the main religion in Japan, joined by Buddhism, as it is acceptable for Japanese people to practice different religious traditions simultaneously. Its followers believe in the existence of the kami, which are manifestations of the musubi (結び), the energy that interconnects the universe. Being in harmony with the positive aspects of nature is following the “way of the kami”.

Christianity permeates all these cultures. Taken to East Asia by the apostles of Jesus Christ shortly after His death on earth, the great missionary impetus occurred, however, with the arrival of the Portuguese led by Vasco da Gama in Calicut, India, in 1498. The zeal and commitment to conversion on the part of its missionaries ended up creating strong resistance among the population, especially in Japan and China, which promoted them in a bloody campaign. Consequently, these countries closed themselves off to the West from the 17th century onwards, moving away from the modernization and industrialization that Europe was experiencing at the time, making them easy prey for the colonialists. They dominated the continent's political and economic scene until the mid-twentieth century when they were gradually pushed back through traumatic processes.

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