AND AFTER BEFORE

Our lives are filled with transitions that often propel us into unknown territory and elicit change. Perhaps the most trying and seemingly absolute of these transitions is the one at the end of a life cycle. Tibetan Buddhist traditions call this interstitial period the bardo, and it contains the opportunity to escape the endless circle of life, death, and rebirth by attaining enlightenment.

As a collective we have gone through a turbulent period and have hopefully accumulated experiences that ready us, maybe not for enlightenment, but perhaps for the next phase to come.

It is clear that we can never return to the before, and in a world facing unprecedented change, these moments can be catalysts to accept impermanence, wake up to our ignorance, and step into greater awareness. Drawing on the theme of the Rubin Museum of Art and Spiral magazine for 2023, how do we approach and navigate Life After?

The shift for cultural institutions worldwide has been seismic. For the Rubin, Life After has meant reaching people where they are. Our traveling Mandala Lab, an immersive journey addressing afflictive emotions, debuted in Spain and will tour through Europe in the coming years. Project Himalayan Art, our hitherto largest institutional project comprising a digital platform, monumental publication, and touring exhibition, is now on the road across the United States, with the goal of exposing more people to the rich cultural legacy of the Himalayan region. Our AWAKEN podcast continues to engage people in topics relevant to our lives and times. And in New York City, we’re exploring ideas about the afterlife through our 2023 exhibition, Death Is Not the End

The current edition of Spiral examines the concept of Life After through individual and collective stories. In these pages you’ll meet a birth and a death doula who help people during transcendent moments; a photographer who chronicles her mother’s death and Hindu mourning rituals in both poignant words and images; and a Tibetan writer on their gender transition, among other chroniclers of change. You’ll learn how to create an ethical will and discover a simple art exercise for self-insight when moving from one phase to the next. Wherever you may be, we hope you find inspiration in these stories to face your own moments of change with greater curiosity and openness.

Jorrit Britschgi Executive Director Rubin Museum of Art