The gold and Buddhist sculpture of thousand-year-old Silla come face to face with audiences in Paris. This is the first time an exhibition taking Silla as its sole subject has been held in Europe. The aesthetics of the gold crown and the pensive bodhisattva can be encountered together within a single exhibition hall.
At the center of the exhibition stands the gold crown. Tree-branch and antler-shaped ornaments cut and raised from gold sheets beaten as thin as paper, and the comma-shaped jades and round spangles hung among them, are the language of Silla goldwork. Ornaments that once swayed with each step and gave off a faint metallic sound now stand with the sound withdrawn and only the light remaining.
The pensive bodhisattva shows a beauty of a different grain. The posture with the right foot placed on the left knee and the fingertips brought close to the cheek, the cool, low luster of the gilt-bronze surface, and the smile barely caught at the corners of the mouth are all there is. If the gold crown is the radiance of power, this one is closer to a form in which thought has hardened into a body.
Gold does not tarnish. The fact that it keeps its original color even after crossing nearly fifteen hundred years is what makes this metal special. Even so, thin gold sheets are weak against vibration and shock, and moving them across borders brings the burden of temperature and humidity control and packing.
Put preservation first alone and the artifacts never leave the storage vault, put use first alone and the artifacts wear down. The fact that this is the first solo exhibition held in Europe is the result of a choice to accept that tension. What lineage European audiences will read Silla's gold into is something to be revealed inside the exhibition hall.
Readers planning a visit would do better to move after checking the opening schedule, fees, and reservation procedures through the organizers' announcements. Detailed guidance comes through the confirmed announcement. That announcement is the standard for deciding whether to fit a day into a Paris itinerary.
There is a way for readers who find it hard to travel to Paris as well. Silla's gold crowns and gilt-bronze sculptures are artifacts that can also be encountered in domestic exhibition halls, and the place where the originals of the aesthetics that crossed over to Europe rest is, after all, this land. If you have grown curious about the gold placed under the lights of Paris, the Silla gallery at a nearby exhibition hall is worth walking through once.
Event Information
Venue: Paris, France
Content: Europe's first exhibition devoted to Silla - gold crowns, pensive bodhisattva statues, and more
Dates, fees, reservations: To be announced by the organizers
