Hero, Heroine, Ally, Foe: A Symposium on The Rama Epic

In conjunction with The Rama Epic: Hero, Heroine, Ally, Foe, on view Oct. 21, 2016 to Jan. 15, 2017, the Asian Art Museum presents a symposium that will animate the characters of southern Asia’s greatest literary and cultural masterpieces. Subject specialists Robert Goldman and Sally Goldman of UC Berkeley, Philip Lutgendorf of University of Iowa, Pika Ghosh of University of North Carolina and Asian Art Museum Wattis Senior Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art Forrest McGill will bring to life the four main characters and related stories through in-depth visual, cultural and literary discussions and presentations. Specific episodes associated with each character will be examined in close detail through depictions in the artworks featured in the exhibition. Following the symposium, Asian Art Museum curators Qamar Adamjee, Natasha Reichle, Forrest McGill, and storyteller Jeff Byers will lead character-specific tours of The Rama Epic in the exhibition galleries.