Theatrical Arts of Asia

Humanity loves to be entertained. Every culture in the world has developed some form of theater. In different regions of Asia, a variety of theatrical traditions have evolved and continue to thrive today. For example, Chinese Beijing opera 京劇 features music, amazing costumes, jaw-dropping acrobatics, and stunts like catching an arrow in mid-flight! In communal rituals, Korean shamans 무 assemble colorful altars, wear specific apparel, and commission paintings of particular figures to assist in their communications with the spirit world through ecstatic dance and chanting. Japanese Noh 能 and Kabuki 歌舞伎 theater showcase sumptuous costumes with painstakingly carved Noh masks or colorful kumadori 隈取 face paint to relate both lofty and base plotlines, ingeniously acted for large audiences.

This focused installation of forty-five works from the permanent collection is showcased throughout the Chinese, Korean, and Japanese galleries of the Museum, featuring paintings of Chinese opera, Korean shamanic divine assistants, prints of Japanese Kabuki and Noh theater, as well as Noh masks in both full-size and diminutive forms.

Image credit: Shamanic Painting of The Five Guardian Generals (O Bang Jang Kun) with Deities Brahma and Indra, About 1890, Joseon period (1392–1910) or later, Ink and color on cloth, Collection of the Art Fund, Inc. at the Birmingham Museum of Art; Gift of the Mills-Whelchel Collection, AFI.40.2011