Art & Devotion encapsulates the essence of Asian religious sculpture. The sacred sculptures included
in this catalogue demonstrate how artists shaped abstract ideas and visualised the heavenly beauty
of the divinities central to their community. The artworks once lay at the centre of devotional rituals
performed privately in a domestic setting or more publicly in temples. The divine figures in their
human-like form intend to protect, give hope, and function as tools of meditation to attain an altered
state of consciousness. Apart from being significant objects of worship in early Asian societies, they
have an intrinsic artistic value. Artists expressed their imagination and skill most in devotional art to
highlight the spiritual energy radiating from their creations.