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PRESS RELEASE
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A BRILLIANT AFTERLIFE An exhibition dedicated to the role of Mingqi in early Chinese burials
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1 November - 7 December 2014 The Barakat Gallery 58 Brook Street W1K 5DT
! ! Private view: 6pm - 8pm, 31 October 2014 ! ! !
The Barakat Gallery is proud to announce the opening of an exhibition dedicated to the art of Mingqi. This event will coincide with the week of Asian Art in London. The exhibition will feature ten extraordinary pieces of early Chinese funerary objects, including beautiful animal sculptures, magnificent Tang dynasty warrior figures, and a rare pair of large well-preserved Lokapala statues.
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Mingqi, literally meaning “brilliant artefacts�, were any variety of funerary furniture or objects placed in Chinese tombs in order to re-create the material environment and provide the deceased with the same comfort they enjoyed while living, thus assuring immortality. Burial figurines of graceful dancers, mystical beasts and everyday objects reveal both how people in early China approached death and reflected their attitude towards the afterlife. Viewing the afterlife as an extension of worldly life, Mingqi artefacts symbolise an eternal transcendence for the deceased.
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As an example of Chinese renaissance, objects from the Tang dynasty will take centre stage as a representation of the golden age of Chinese culture. While the Tang era was one of the apices of Chinese art, the exhibition will feature sculptures from the Liao and Ming dynasties as well.
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The Tang dynasty was a golden age of Chinese culture, and its art reached new levels of sophistication. Poetry and literature, sculpture and painting all flourished under an enlightened rulership. The trading route known as the Silk Road brought fortunes on the backs of camels to China, spreading the legacy of Chinese Art.
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