SHAURYA KUMAR
THE LOST MUSEUM
The fate of world’s greatest lost treasures
“Anybody who isn’t scared just thinking about what’s happening?” - RICHARD R. ROWE
SHAURYA KUMAR
THE LOST MUSEUM
The fate of world’s greatest lost treasures
As the new digital technology revolutionizes every
aspect of the society, it leads us into a world which is
often defined as a “Post - ” society: post- historic, postreligious, post- civilized, post- industrial, post-capitalist and post- modern.
Some claim that we are experiencing a new society; variedly known as information
society, knowledge society, cyber/virtual society that is undergoing a constant, rapid and
imperceptible change. This is the society where people are beyond the hold of the past,
worried about the present and terrified about the future.
their power to successfully combine imagery with text and their ease of reproducibility
and distribution. In more recent times, the same status of defining a culture has been
assigned to the new digital technology, that has revolutionized every aspect of contemporary society, leading us into a world which is often defined as a “Post - ” society mentioned above, where there is an increasing emphasis on the production, reproduction,
storage and most importantly, dissemination of information. In fact, it can be easily said
that what print had once hoped to achieve, digital media, especially with the development of the World Wide Web, has done so with remarkable ease and effectiveness.
On the other hand, Walter Benjamin in his seminal essay The Work of Art in the Age of
Mechanical Reproduction, talks about the loss of aura in works of art that are mechanically reproduced. Questioning the definition of the ‘original’ and the concept of ‘authenticity’, Benjamin states that “Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is
lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place
where it happens to be.” This unique place is not necessarily specific to the geographical location of the work of art, but rather refers to the context of the work itself, not only
where and how it was created, but also how it was presented and experienced. One
might say that it is this context that forces the viewer to confront the work of art, initiating a dialogue between the subject (viewer) and the object (work). It is this confrontation between the subject and the object in a space, with the faculties of sight, touch and
smell that the work comes to its conclusion.
1
My works are based on the analysis of this random and rapid transformation that the
virtual world constantly goes through, seductively alluding to the “Age of the New
Digital World”. But the new age here refers not to the new era, but literally to the “age”
of data itself.
Working on codes at the binary level, behind the façade of the image interface itself;
I manipulate the information that is stored in the magnetic or optical devices. This
change – mostly random - destructs, disrupts and distorts data imitating the unpredictability and change that it would undergo – with disaster or age.
The Lost Museum
Loss of any art is a loss of history, a loss of spirit of time. A progeny of the society that
gestated it, an artwork embodies a past and a history in itself. It therefore survives
as a filial relic of the parent civilization, fossilized in time yet fresh as a Mayflower. Yet
art itself is far from immortal. Its preservation and salvation has always been a battle
against nature, time—and man.
Despite conservation efforts, countless artworks have been destroyed during military
conflicts or at the hands of ever-changing political regimes. They have succumbed to
obscurity through obliteration—some vaguely recorded on aging fragile material, or
unfortunately never documented at all – and with fading human memories, the annihilation is final.
In his book From Graven Images: Patterns of Modern Materials, published in 1983, Dr.
Chandra Mukherji assigned a special status to prints as a creator of culture, due to
Benjamin’s argument can be easily carried forward to the new digital age, and is being
revisited in the context of digital reproductions and its use for information and cultural
dissemination. This forms the core philosophy of my work and research.
The change in the context of work of art, the loss of the ‘aura’ of the work that is digitally
reproduced, coupled with the complete lack of physical experience has forced me to
deliberate over the disconnect that the new media has brought as a side effect. With
more and more people viewing art works and exhibitions online rather than visiting
museums and galleries, I question the role of artists, viewers and the museums that in
turn, define not only our culture, but also our past, present and the future.
The rate at which we are now generating and accessing data and information is growing exponentially (growth of internet users from 2000 – 2008 is 342.2% worldwide.)
This revolutionary phenomenon of Internet accessibility and usage is creating new and
unprecedented challenges for historians, anthropologists and sociologists. The National
Archives and Records Administration (NARA), responsible for saving retired records for
federal government states that the Pentagon generates tens of millions of images from
personnel files each year. It also proclaims the fact that the Bush government alone
generated approximately 104 million emails during its 8-year tenure and 2000 census
2
1 Benjamin, Walter,
The Work of Art in
the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,
1968, Florida:
Harcourt, Brace &
World, pp. 219-254
2 http://www.internetworldstats.com/
stats.htm
returns were converted into more than 600 million TIFF-format image files, some 40
terabytes of data. Everything considered NARA expects to receive 347 petabytes of
electronic records by 2022.3
The quandary of storing and preserving historical and cultural artifact digital documentation, however doesn’t conclude here; it’s rather a tumble down the rabbit hole when
one encounters the fragility of the new and ever mutating shape shifting digital media.
Gordon Moore’s law propounded in 1975 implies that technology outdates itself, making
way for new, efficient and innovative technologies every 24 months. Commenting on the
instability of digital archives, Jeff Rotherberg, senior researcher at RAND Corporation
in Santa Monica stated, “Digital data lasts forever or five years, whichever comes first.”4
What Moore and Rotherberg suggest is that the instability of digital archives is caused
not only because of change in technology, but also because technology itself is not
designed to last more than a few years. Almost everyone has experienced effects of this
unstable media in one way or another on a personal level when emails or attachments
fail to download or open incorrectly, data once stored in floppy disks, zip drives and CDs
becomes inaccessible. Concerns of storing and preserving data has therefore become
a critical issue especially when dealing with large proportions of sensitive data that is
digitally generated and archived on a global scale.
Such overwhelming generation and distribution of information, and its perception,
understanding and experience through the computer, when coupled with the fragility of the medium itself has instigated my research. It was also informed by my own
displacement from my native culture/surroundings/environment for the past few years
that forced me to heavily, but unsatisfactorily, rely on digital and virtual environments
(emails, instant messages, voice chat) to preserve the bond between my past and my
present.
3 Talbot, David, “The
Fading Memory
of the State”,
Technology Review,
Cambridge, MA, MIT
Press, July 25
4 Rotherberg, Jeff,
Scientific American
Journal, New York,
January 1995
Works from project The Lost Museum have been a result of extensive research and collaboration with scientists and engineers that address the loss of ‘aura’ of a work that is
digitally viewed or reproduced. Using a self-developed computer program that involves
working on codes at the binary level, behind the façade of the image interface itself information stored in the magnetic and optical devices is manipulated, sometimes
changing just one bit, the basic unit of information of data stored. This change – mostly
random - destructs, disrupts and distorts data imitating the unpredictability and change
that it would undergo – with disaster or age.
Works from this project thus act as a global survey of selected artworks, and cultural
and historical artifacts that were destroyed in various wars or conflicts throughout
history. My research, however, goes further from this physical loss and deals with the
analysis of modern digital archiving methods that are used to document and “preserve”
history, art and culture. The project showcases remains of works of art taken from a
corrupted database; a visual testament to the final loss of history. Each piece represents
a work of art that was physically destroyed—and whose documentation was lost yet
again, this time because of the constant, rapid and invisible change of the archive itself.
By creating fictional entities and organizations like The Council of Documentation of Lost
Art and Cultural Heritage (CDLACH), whose mission is to recover, preserve and electronically restore treasures of lost art; and The Program for Conservation of Art in Electronic
Media (PCAEM) - a fictional program initiated to retrieve and preserve any corrupted
and destroyed electronic documentation of lost art; I have often employed rhetorical,
paradoxical and satirical ways to critique the role of historians, curators, collectors and
museums in shaping history, culture, and contemporary practices in which we perceive
and experience our own heritage.
These works I believe are highly significant as they embrace digital practices not only
as tools to achieve a visual end, but also as a conceptual premise for the images that I
create. My works rhetorically raise concerns regarding methods of digital archiving of
cultural and historical artifacts. They act as a cultural commentary, challenging the presumed reliability of digital information, and our practices of virtual storage, preservation
and experience of history and culture.
Much like artist Fred Wilson, who through his 1992-93 exhibition Mining the Museum,
questions “how curators shape interpretations of historical truth, artistic value, and the
language of display, and what kinds of biases our cultural institutions express,”5
I present my work created by the random alteration and corruption of digital images as
“originals”, changing the content and context of the object, and the perception and experience of the subject.
According to Professor Anita Jung, a guest curator for my recent exhibition Masterworks: Googlepaedic Narrations and the Dysfunction of Damage, “Kumar uses the
process of inevitable destruction as a means by which to transform images. Each image
has its past and story but through the gentle manipulation of moving small bits of code
these objects are assigned new meanings and in fact become new images. Kumar
makes work that encourages us to consider these vital questions: What will we retain?
What will become eroded? What through time and age will we be losing? Kumar’s work
becomes an allegorical tale cautioning us to be aware, to actively be discerning and
safeguarding our history as it belongs to those who come after us as much as the monuments, oceans, forests, and great works of art we document.”6
– Shaurya Kumar
5 http://www.pbs.
org/art21/artists/
wilson/index.html
6 Jung, Anita, “Guest
Curatorial Statement”, Masterworks: Googlepaedic Narrations and
the Dysfunction
of Damage, State
College of Florida,
January 2012
THE LOST MUSEUM
The Fate of World’s Greatest Lost Treasures
by Shaurya Kumar
It is said that the shape of our culture is very much
defined by the art of that particular era; that the
art and culture are the alter egos of one another. An
artwork hence embodies a past, a history in itself.
Loss of any art is thus a loss of history, a loss of the
spirit of time.
Though there was always a realization of importance of documentation, there are
particular reasons, especially in the art realm, for a work to be completely erased from
human memory, once it is lost or destroyed. As saying goes - once something is out of
sight, it is out of mind.
Despite all the efforts to preserve art, since time immemorial, numerous works of art
have been destroyed either during a military coup, or when the ruling regime is in general disagreement with the philosophy of that work itself. In the past century, however,
with the advent of technology, there has been a major drive to preserve and learn more
about the past than ever before. Robert Adams in his book The Lost Museum says —“We
know the past better than the past knew itself.” Through the invention of camera, video
films, photocopiers and fax, art was granted an immortal youth. It seemed that art and
history had finally found a guardian.
Early 1980s witnessed another uproar, a great effort to preserve art, history and vanishing cultures, this time using advanced and highly sophisticated modern technologies. In
1982, a number of museums around the world joined hands to form The Council for Documentation of Lost Art & Cultural Heritage (CDLACH), with the primary aim to document
and preserve record of artworks, particularly those that had been lost or destroyed.
Much of the existing documentation was converted into electronic database, forming the
largest electronic archive of lost art and culture to date.
While the project is ongoing, the documentation of existing records was soon forgotten,
with a belief that it would be available for all times to come. However, only about two
and a half decades after the archive was first created, much of the database was found
to be inaccessible. While some of electronic files didn’t even open, many had changed
beyond recognition. “They looked like parts of the old Atari video games, or images that
you can see when one tries to open an old CD or a floppy disk” says the head engineer
who was rushed to the site after the error was first reported.
This exhibition is a part of the collection of artworks that were found corrupted and
stands as an aftermath of the ‘final loss’, for even the documentation of lost art has
been lost forever. In response to this crisis and in an attempt to freeze the digital relics
without any delay, the CDLACH is now in the process of reproducing their digital archive
on paper. Works in this exhibition are part of this ongoing project and showcase various
art and cultural artifacts that were lost or destroyed during various wars or conflict
situations throughout history.
The council has also initiated a Program for Conservation of Art in Electronic Media
(PCAEM) with an aim to retrieve and preserve any possible information from the archive.
Bodhisattvas and Deities on the West Wall of the Ceiling
The loss or destruction of art during
wars can mainly be attributed to one
of the two factors: destruction during international or civil conflicts when
the work happens to be present in the
affected space; and secondly, as a result
of a disagreement with the philosophy
or ideology of the work itself. It was the
latter that decided the fate of the 7
th
century colossal sculptures of Bamiyan,
destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.
Before 2001, not much was internationally known about Bamiyan
and its gigantic sculptures of Buddhas that grandly stood in a
broad, hard to reach valley, flanked by high stone cliffs for over
Buddha, 8 - 9 century c.e. Cave 620,
Bamiyan, Afghanistan
th
th
1300 years. But even less known is the fact that along with the sculptures of Buddha,
many exquisite murals that were painted in the nearby caves met with the same fate as
that of the sculptures. Though some documentation of the statues remains in the form of
writings and photographs, no efforts were ever made to document the remains of these
beautiful mural paintings before their final destruction.
Historically, Bamiyan was strategically located on the silk route linking the markets of
China with that of India, Central Asia, Middle East and Europe. After Buddhism was first
introduced to the region by an Indian king Asoka the great in 3rd century b.c.e., Bamiyan
became a prominent Buddhist center with numerous Buddhist and Hindu monasteries
under the patronage of the Kushan dynasty. Two Chinese pilgrims, Fa-Hein and Hsüan
Tsang, visited Bamiyan in 400 c.e. and 630 c.e. respectively; and gave detailed accounts
of thousands of monks inhabiting the rock cut caves that were located around the statues. It is in these caves that the most elaborate Buddhist mural paintings were done.
Though the destroyed Buddha sculptures had an unmistakable influence of the Gandharan School of Art that developed under the Kushan period, fragments of few remaining mural paintings from the surviving neighboring caves show a distinct resemblance
to those found in caves of Bagh and Ajanta in central India. Before their recent destruction in Afghanistan, the two colossal statues of Buddha and the cave paintings had
withstood the wrath of nature and man for over 1300 years. They were an evidence of
the zenith of Buddhism, the splendor of history, and the devotion of pilgrims; and were
among the greatest examples of Buddhist artworks created with various artistic influences, as diverse as Achaemenian, Hellenistic and Indian.
Bamiyan is a proof of extremism and outrage of the Taliban. With the destruction of the
statues and paintings of Bamiyan, along with countless artifacts from the museums
in Afghanistan, the strong link between the Buddhist traditions of Asia has been lost
forever and can never be restored again. The damage is irreparable, a loss that will be
mourned by generations to come.
Bodhisattvas and Deities on
the West Wall of the Ceiling
7 th - 8th century c.e.
Mural Painting Cave 620
Bamiyan, Afghanistan
Destroyed by The Taliban
in March 2001
Archival Inkjet Print
31” x 40”
The West Pediment of the Parthenon
“Earth proudly wears the Parthenon as
the best gem upon her zone”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson (Poet, Essayist)
Such is the fame of one of the most well
know architectural buildings of all times.
Built on the Acropolis Hill or ‘the Sacred
Remains of the Parthenon, 5th century b.c.e.
Athens, Greece
Rock’ in the 5th century b.c.e., the Parthenon is a major link to the classical
aesthetics and forms the basis of the
art of the modern western world.
Constructed in the 5th century b.c.e. replacing an early structure
that was ransacked by the Persian invaders, the temple was the
most significant monument ever dedicated to Athena Parthenos,
the patron goddess of Athens.
The most magnificent offering to the goddess till date, the Parthenon was virtually a
museum in itself with various Greek myths and stories depicted in beautifully carved
high relief and sculptures. The famous sculptor Pheidias supervised the creation
of sculptural decorations of the Doric style temple. In fact, the 40 feet high statue of
Athena made of ivory and gold, which was erected inside the main complex, is attributed to Pheidias himself.
Though the Parthenon remains as one of the most preserved Greek temples, it is only
a shadow of its former splendor. Through the centuries, the ancient temple has been
immensely neglected, remodeled, looted and forcefully restored.
A 3rd century C.E. fire destroyed much of the temple that was later only minimally
restored. In 6th century C.E., the temple of Athena was converted to a Christian church
and went through a series of architectural modifications. Unlike the ancient Greek
beliefs where a devotee never enters the temple, the new Christian Parthenon was now
meant to receive the congregation. To illuminate the interiors of the new church, windows were carelessly carved into the walls; the east pediment was dismantled and most
of north, west and east meotopes were reworked to adopt the Christian iconography.
In the 15th century C.E., the Parthenon was converted into a mosque under the Ottoman
rule; and on September 28, 1687 c.e., while being used as a storehouse for gunpowder
the Parthenon suffered a major destruction when a bomb from the Venetian fleet ignited
the gunpowder, destroying most of the interior structure and demolishing the remaining roof. Sculptures, however, suffered the most. Only some records, lacking detail and
character, of sculptures destroyed during this explosion still exist in the form of drawings done by a French artist Jacques Carrey in 1674 c.e. and are now housed in Bibliothéque Nationale, Paris.
By the late 18th century c.e., the Parthenon fell prey to the hands of aestheticians and
collectors who visited the ruins of Acropolis. In the same spirit as Romans, who carried
away art treasures, European collectors like Lord Elgin, the British Ambassador at
Constantinople and Choiseul-Gouffier, along with a French diplomat made full efforts
to carry the fragments of the artistic wonder back to their native countries. As a result,
over half the existing sculptures now are in the collection of the British Museum in London, and some fragments exist in numerous other museums like the Louvre in Paris,
National Museum in Copenhagen, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, and the
Vatican Museum in Rome.
The West Pediment of the Parthenon
(From a drawing by Jacques Carrey in 1674 c.e.)
5th century B.C.E.
Athens, Greece
Sculptures destroyed on
September 28, 1687 C.E.
Archival Inkjet Print
27” x 40”
Hindu and Jain Temples
The Qutub Minar stands as part of the
Qutub Complex in Delhi, India; a collection of sacred architectural structures
with an engaging, yet checkered past.
It has the distinction of being the tallest brick minaret in the world, with an
impressive blending of architectural
styles that reflect the social and politiComplex of Qutub Minar, New Delhi, India
cal diversity of its history and location.
Qutub Minar may be a breathtaking
architectural accomplishment, but its
creation is born of iconoclasm.
Initiated by the first Muslim ruler of Delhi, Qutub-ud-din Aibak,
the 72.5 meter (273.8 ft) architectural wonder began as a circular
basement and was realized to full completion by his successor
Illtutmish. Inspired by the Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan, the tower was created using
red and tan sandstone and features architectural and decorative details drawn on a
number of visual styles. With 379 steps leading to the top and a base 14 meters in diameter, it is both impressive and imposing. Scholars believe its imposing form was meant
as a statement of victory—a visual confirmation of the might of Islam, an action potentially motivated by politics rather than religion.
The source of Qutub Minar’s building blocks, however, is rooted in political upheaval. The
entire complex is built upon the Lal Kot, or the Red Citadel—the capital of the last Hindu
rulers in Delhi prior to the Mughal period. The tower is covered with relief carvings and
inscriptions, some left over from the original religious sites that were destroyed in order
to build the minaret and the nearby Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque. Records indicate the site
originally housed 27 Hindu and Jain religious buildings, which were demolished and
used for parts. Remains, both literally inscribed and visually referential, of the Jain and
Hindu elements can still be seen today.
The Archaeological Society of India confirms that at least 27 Hindu and Jain temples
were deconstructed and re-used. Jain tirthankar figures and Hindu lotuses can be identified on many of the pillars. Beautifully carved reliefs from earlier periods mingle with
classical Mughal architecture, showing parallel worlds.
Masonry and stone remains from the original temple complexes are woven throughout, preserved alongside or underneath later Arabic inscriptions from the Holy Qu’ran.
In some cases, the original stones have been flipped, so the Hindu or Jain artwork
is “behind” and Islamic scripture is engraved on the new “front” of the stone. In other
places, Arabic writing is engraved in and around earlier motifs as over-writing. Engravings like Shri Vishwakarma prasade rachita, or “conceived by the grace of Vishwakarma,”
indicate provenance.
Built from the rubble of temples destroyed in political iconoclasm, the tower has also
withstood the ravages of nature and tourism. It has been struck by lightning on a number of occasions, the earliest dating to 1326 ce. Various rulers have repaired the damages, and some of the upper stories have been completely replaced. It has also survived
several earthquakes and the interior was once open to tourists—though it is now closed
off due to the potential for injury and continued damage.
Hindu and Jain Temples
Pre 12th century c.e.
Various sites across the Indian Subcontinent
Temple remains used to construct the
complex of qutub minar
Archival Inkjet Print
30” x 40”
Monolithic Stele
Being one of the four countries that
form the famous Horn of Africa, the
country of Eritrea is bordered by Sudan
in the west, Ethiopia in the south and
Djibouti in the southeast. From being an
Italian colony to an annex of Britain in
the 1940s, Eritrea finally gained independence after a thirty-year war with
Ruins of Stele, Akule Guzai, Eritrea
Ethiopia from 1961 to 1991 c.e.
Eritrea and Ethiopia are two countries that are bound together by
history, culture and geography. With ongoing disputes and disagreements on the issues of national boundaries and currency,
their relationship is like a lengthy family feud between two brothers, with no long-term
settlement seemingly possible.
In 1998, a border conflict with Ethiopia over the town of Badme resulted in death of over
19,000 soldiers and civilians, and displacement of more than 750,000 people in Eritrea.
The disputed border, that is often referred to as “the geographer’s nightmare” by BBC,
was originally fixed in 1902 c.e. by a treaty between the Italian government that had colonized the state of Eritrea and the then Ethiopian King Menelik II.
While retreating back to its original borders in 1998, the Ethiopian army destroyed
Eritrea’s oldest standing structure dating back to the 3rd century c.e. Belonging to the pre
to early Akusmite period adorned with beautiful inscriptions, it was among the oldest
steles in the region.
An eyewitness states that Ethiopian soldiers used tanks to run over the stele. The
destruction of the stele was discovered only after a year of the actual event, as the fear
of landmines kept people away from the deserted site of Belew Kelew near Sanafe, just
15 miles from Ethiopian border.
Monolithic Stele
3rd century c.e.
Kohaito, Eritrea
Destroyed by the Ethiopian army in 2001 c.e.
Archival Inkjet Print
26” x 40”
Detail of the Ceiling in Palazzo Archinto
It would not be incorrect to say that the
Second World War was probably the
biggest and most elaborate campaign
ever executed in the history of mankind to alter the fate of art. German
Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler had an ambitious vision to make Germany the
strongest country in the West, both
politically and culturally.
This dream country, according to Hitler, was to consist of massive libraries, sprawling universities and the biggest museums
of European art in the entire world. Devout Nazis, according
to the taste and personal liking of their leader, confiscated large numbers of works
from museums, private collectors and art dealers from all over the Europe and stored
them for their future museum. Artworks that were against the taste of Hitler, especially
work made by Jewish artists, were classified as “Degenerate” and were again seized,
stored and sometimes destroyed.
However, contrary to the common understanding, Nazi Germans did not actually destroy
much of the Degenerate art that they seized. Rather, knowing its worth in the international art market, they either traded these works with the ones that they wanted to
acquire, or sold them for money. Most of the works they collected were stored in crates
and hidden in mines, churches and tunnels. In most cases, the collection was elaborately documented which still allows us to identify them.
The Nazis however could only acquire movable works like paintings on canvases and
sculptures. Much of the art in Europe existed in the form of fresco paintings and architecture, which did not share that fate of preservation and documentation; and were
often subjected to the cruelty of war. Such was the case of Palazzo Archinto in Milan that
was destroyed in the bombardment during the Second World War, along with its exquisite paintings by artists such as Tiepolo. The detail from the ceiling shown in the work
depicts the myth of ‘Apollo & Phaeton’ portraying Juno with Fortune and Venus.
The only documentation of the painting existed in the form of a black and white photograph published in a book “Tiepolo, Antonio Morassi, Instituto Italiano d’ Arti Grafiche”
that appeared in 1943 a few months before the ceiling, the palazzo and the entire documentation of the photographer were destroyed in a deadly series of air raids.
General Dwight D Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied
Forces, inspects art treasures looted by the Germans and stored
away in the Merkers salt mine.
Detail of the Ceiling in
Palazzo Archinto
(Apollo & Phaeton by Tiepolo)
18th century c.e.
Milan, Italy
Destroyed during the
World War II bombing
Archival Inkjet Print
40.1” x 32”
Friese With Inlays; Showing Scenes of Dairy Farming
In the period 5000 – 4000 b.c.e., the
Tell or mound of Ubaid, near Ur formed
much of the early settlement of Mesopotamia, the culture that is identified by
its distinctive style of pottery and the
first village system to have existed in
southern Mesopotamia. It is unarguably
the birthplace of agriculture and civilization where people farmed the land,
domesticated animals and fished in the
Gulf. This Sumerian culture witnessed
great artistic and cultural achievements,
including the invention of first slow pottery wheel and the first written cuneiform script.
Sacred Vase of Warka, 3000 b.c.e, Uruk, Iraq
Many of the important artifacts of this early human civilization
were displayed in the Iraq Museum in Baghdad till 2003 c.e.
when the museum was strategically looted amidst the chaos of
the infamous war in Iraq. Out of about 15,000 artifacts that were initially looted, only
35% have made their way back to the museum, and only a few more have been identified
or seized by the law enforcement authorities around the world.
Though a few of the most important artifacts like the Sacred Vase of Warka dated
3000 b.c.e. has been returned, other very important historical pieces like the headless
statue from early Mesopotamia that has probably the first inscription stating the figure
as a king, have not been found. Another piece of great significance displayed here that
still remains missing is an alabaster relief, which is one of three fragments from a
single stele that dates to the time of the Akkadian Empire in Mesopotamia, circa 2334 2154 b.c.e.
Looting of art and artifacts for profit has been an integral part of the war in the Middle
East. Museums in Beirut were looted in the 1970s, the Kuwaiti museums were looted
and burnt down by the Iraqi troops in 1991, and the Kabul Museum in Afghanistan was
ransacked twice, once after the heavy bombing in 1993, and then in 2001, just before
Taliban leaders destroyed much of non-Islamic art. In each case, art objects made their
way to international markets, often ending locked up in secret vaults of private collectors and museums. The scrutiny of these stolen art objects in the international market
is much more rigorous now than ever before, with museums and collectors refusing to
buy such artifacts, or often turning them in to the authorities after acquiring them. But
many a time, the loss is severe and irreparable as it becomes increasingly difficult to
identify the origins of rediscovered objects and ascertain their authenticity, especially
when the archives of the museums, like that of Baghdad Museum in Iraq, were completely burnt down.
Identification of art objects is often problematic, as archives of many art objects did not
exist in the first place. Many a time, in order to hide the origin/identity of the artifact, the
marauders would saw or hammer down a part of the object and sell it in pieces, thus
contributing to the permanent loss of heritage and history.
Scholars are calling this looting of the Baghdad Museum as the single most severe blow
to cultural heritage in modern history. “This is like destroying all the museums at the
Washington Mall” says Eleanor Robson, an Assyriologist at the University of Oxford, U.K.
This is not just a great loss to the legacy of Iraq, but is a much greater loss to the entire
human kind.
Friese With Inlays; Showing Scenes of
Dairy Farming
ca. 2400 b.c.e.
Limestone, Bitumen, Shell, Copper Frame
Missing from Baghdad Museum since 2003 c.e.
Ceramic relief tiles printed using ZCorp 400 rapid
prototype printer
8.5” x 45.75”
The Terracotta Warriors of Qin Shi Huang
It was a clear spring day in March 1974,
when Zhifa, a farmer from Yang village some 75 km north east of Xi’an in
Shaanxi Province, along with eight other
farmers were digging a well to irrigate
their collective farm. At the depth of
about 15m, they stumbled across something that would become one of the
most important archeological discoveries of modern times. What farmers
found was one of over 8,000 terracotta
figures, an army of clay warriors each
with unique facial features, posture,
headgear, armor and weapons.
Terracotta Warrior enclosed in a Glass case in the Terracotta Warrior Museum, Xi’an, China
It was indeed an underground army of figures, complete with
ranks from Generals, to Captains, horsemen, archers, swordsmen and soldiers on foot, ensconced in a vast, elaborate under-
ground palace that surrounded Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s decorated mausoleum. Ever
watchful, the sculptures were designed to protect the Emperor in the afterlife, and were
the result of over 700,000 skilled hands.
2,000 years of anonymity protected the site from looting, but excavation revealed the
installation had been disturbed early on. Only a few years after completion, the warriors and their subterranean environment had been sacked—burned, smashed, broken,
and shattered by invading enemies. Few figures escaped harm. Only the officers were
spared, buried in a separate pit. The rest were reduced to rubble, requiring extensive
reconstruction efforts. Archaeologists confirmed the pits had been purposefully burned,
causing wooden beams to collapse and fire to spread within the caverns.
Contemporary excavation efforts have also caused unintentional harm to the ancient
pieces. Previously undamaged figures face oxidation and erosion of their painted pigments when exposed to modern air pollution. The potential for indirect damage has also
slowed excavation of the Emperor’s tomb, for fear of accidental ruin.
Although a total of three pits are now available for public viewing, our understanding
is permanently limited because their true form and context are lost forever. Figures
destroyed by ancient enemies can never share their complete story. Hundreds more
remain buried, waiting for technological and archeological advances that would allow
them be uncovered without fear of new damage. Even in our well-meaning attempts to
preserve history, the modern world causes damage, corrosion, and loss—from the erosion of color to the crumbling of detail and meaning.
The Terracotta Warriors of Qin Shi Huang
Completed in 210-209 b.c.e.
Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
Destroyed by invading enemies
(206 – 150 b.c.e.)
Archival Inkjet Print
40” x 26.5”
Amber Room
The Amber Room at Charlottenburg
Palace was built at the persuasion
of Sophie Charlotte, the second wife
of Friedrich I, the first King of Prussia. Designed by Andreas Schlüter and
crafted by Gottfried Wolfram, the master
craftsman to the Danish court of King
Frederick iv of Denmark, the construcCastle of Königsberger after the fire
tion of the palace started in 1701 c.e.
and took eight years of meticulous and
detailed work before its completion in
1709 c.e. To endow the enchantment that
the Amber Room was legendary for,
both the masters had hired the expertise of the two amber masters Ernst
Schacht and Gottfried Turau from Danzig, Poland.
A masterpiece of Baroque art, Amber room was a hall that measured 11 square feet when created. Its walls and ceiling were studded with brilliant ambers and many other semiprecious stones.
Legend goes that when lit with candles, the amber walls gleamed with an almost divine
aura that bathed every object present in the room, creating an ethereal experience for
the viewer. In today’s time, had it existed, its value would approximately be around $142
million. However, it was not the worth of this work of art alone that made it famous but
also its most exquisite artistic prominence that helped it attain the unofficial status of
the Eighth Wonder of the World in that period.
As a gesture of political alliance, the Prussian king presented the Amber Room to his
then ally, Tsar Peter, the great king of the Russian Empire in 1716 c.e. In 1755, Tsarina
Elizabeth of Russia was so fascinated with the Amber Room that she relocated it first
to the Winter Palace and later to the Catherine Palace, a summer residence located
just 25 km southeast of St. Petersburg. With a new gift of Baltic Ambers by Frederick II
the Great from Berlin, the room was renovated with new designs by her court architect,
Bartolomeo Rastrelli. It underwent numerous other renovations during the course of the
century and finally occupied more than 55 square feet of area and contained over six
tons of amber.
On the onset of the Second World War, the Russians made myriad efforts to hide the
entire room from German Nazis and made several attempts to disassemble the room
piece by piece. All attempts to do this were however abandoned as the 250 year old and
brittle amber started to crack and crumble. The room was finally camouflaged with
wallpaper with the hope that it would remain hidden, untouched by the atrocities of war.
The Nazis however dug up the secret of the marvelous Amber Room and shortly after
its discovery, the room was dismantled on Hitler’s orders and was allegedly moved to
Königsberg Castle in Germany, packed in crates.
The room has, ever since, been reportedly missing and its whereabouts are currently
unknown. To this day, many versions of unfounded rumors exist about the disappearance of this stunning and breathtaking work of art. Some believe that the room was
accidentally destroyed when the Russian army raided and burned Königsberg Castle in
1945; others say that it sank to the bottom of the Baltic sea while in transit through the
sea route; and many suppose that the Nazis buried it in a silver mine 100 km south of
Berlin where it still lays concealed. Few scholars believe that it was hidden by the Nazis
on the shores of Baltic Sea and yet again some hold a view that it was dumped beneath
the dark waters of a lagoon near the Lithuanian town of Neringa.
The mystery has inspired various researches, film plots, rumors and hearsay around the
world, as the room continues to remain elusive. Against all speculations, search for the
Amber Room still continues and is one of the biggest treasure hunts of all times.
Amber Room
18th century c.e.
Catherine Palace of Tsarskoe
Selo near Saint Petersburg
Location unknown since 1945
Archival Inkjet Print
27” x 40”
Remains of a Mural
Long before the University of Oxford
was founded in the 12th century, there
existed a university in the Far East that
was an epitome of higher education
and scholarly works during its golden
days. Though the exact dates of its
foundation remain obscure, the ancient
university of Nalanda is believed to
Ruins of Nalanda University, Nalanda, Bihar, India
date back to the time of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism and Lord
Mahavira, the founder of Jainism in India
in the 4th century b.c.e.
One can find their elaborate descriptions in memoirs of the
famous Chinese pilgrim Hsüan Tsang who spent considerable
time at the university studying Buddhism in the early 7th century
c.e. The university by that time was the most important center of learning in Asia and
housed more than 10,000 students and over 2,000 faculty and scholars in the world’s
first residential university.
With eight separate compounds, numerous temples and meditation halls, the university
offered a dynamic curriculum that included lessons in scriptures of the Mahayana and
Hinayana Schools of Buddhism, the Hetuvidya (logic), Sabdavidya (grammar), Chikitsavidya (medicine), Tattvavigyan (metaphysics) as well as purely Brahmanical Hindu
sacred texts such as the Vedas. The university, according to the descriptions of Hsüan
Tsang, also housed a nine stories high library where meticulous copies of some of the
most important texts of that time were produced.
The art of painting and sculpture formed a very important part of the Buddhist education. The monks would often meditate upon an image of Buddha and, through the
medium of painting or sculpture, imbibe the qualities of the deity. Nalanda University,
along with being an educational institution of high repute, was thus also a very important center for the arts. Numerous examples of sculptures and palm leaf manuscripts
produced by monks and students of Nalanda still exist in various museums around the
world, and are some of the finest examples of Buddhist art.
Like numerous other Buddhist sites, the Chaityas (worship halls) and the Viharas
(monasteries) at Nalanda were often covered with most exquisite mural paintings. The
tradition of these mural paintings can again be traced to the caves of Ajanta and Bagh in
central India.
There is however, not much left of those murals or the university today. The revival of
Hinduism by the 8th and 9th century c.e resulted in a weak hold of Buddhism on the Indian
soil. The invasion of a Turkish ruler, Bakhtiyar Khilji, was the last severe blow to Buddhism in India. In 1193 c.e., Khilji ransacked the university, destroyed most of the campus
and ended the glorious era of Buddhism from its birthplace.
Remains of a Mural
9th century c.e.
Nalanda University, Bihar, India
Destroyed during a Turkish invasion in 1193 c.e.
Archival Inkjet Print
30” x 40”
Man at the Crossroads by Diego Rivera
1930s America faced an identity crisis
of epic proportions. The Great Depression threw millions into squalor. Global
enemies waited around every corner.
Communism was on the rise; a threat to
American morality and identity, igniting
paranoia at the highest levels. Tremendous growth in media brought frightenDetail, “Man at the Crossroads”. Mural depicting Lenin
that caused the destruction of the work
ing images, information and possibilities
to the table.
By1933, the Rockefeller family emerged as the hub of the new
communications network. They commissioned a mural for the
RCA Building in Rockefeller Center, New York, with the vision of
reflecting a sense of forward-looking achievement an idealized America emerging from
confusion. The commission was awarded to none other than Diego Rivera, a prominent
muralist originally from Guanajuato, Mexico.
Given a theme by the family, “looking with hope and high vision to the choosing of a new
and better future,” Rivera composed a gritty, expansive image drawing on his trademark
social imagery. Focused on universality, the design included elements of Communism,
community, growth, and science. The center of the mural featured an “everyman” in
work clothes, a figure in control of war, life, agriculture, work, growth, and technology.
The “Man at the Crossroads” fearlessly depicted sensual women, day workers, soldiers,
disease, political thinkers, laborers, drunks, ordinary people, and uncensored naturalism. Agriculture and machine-age symbols worked in harmony as he artfully blended
past, present, and a directed future
The 63-foot painting also included a portrait of Vladimir Lenin actively joining the hands
of people of various races. The portrait of the Communist thinker, and the“shocking”
qualities of the image caused a deluge of negative press. Newspapers roared about the
pro-Communist sentiment. Criticism was lobbed at the mural for being anti-capitalist,
Anti-American propaganda, which, according to the Rockefellers, contradicted the aim
of the mural they had commissioned.
Rivera described the mural as an image representing two visions of civilization—the
world of debauchery, corruption, war, and unemployment where the wealthy crushed
the poor—and an idealized, socialist space where workers sang and danced as Lenin
joined the hands of a black American worker and a white Russian worker in harmony.
In response to public outrage, Rivera offered to balance the mural with an inclusion
of Abraham Lincoln. Rockefeller, however, met this with insistence that the portrait of
Lenin be removed, or changed to an anonymous worker.
Standing on artistic integrity, Rivera refused to alter the portrait and Rockefeller ordered
the painting to cease and the mural to be destroyed. The original mural was never completed. After the outrage, the mural was initially covered and finally destroyed in February of 1934. Some accounts say it was smashed to pieces with mallets and hammers.
One of Rivera’s assistants managed to photograph the unfinished image before it was
obliterated. These photos were later used by Rivera to compose and complete “Man,
Controller of the Universe,” the revised version of “Man at the Crossroads,” which is still
on view in Mexico City.
Man at the Crossroads by Diego Rivera
1933 - 34 c.e.
Rockefeller Center, New York
Destroyed by the orders of Rockfeller on February 10, 1934 c.e.
Archival Inkjet Print
30” x 40”
World Trade Center Tapestry by Joan Miro
Even if one yearns to go back much
further in the past, when the twin towers stood majestically and defined New
York City’s skyline, the memory of World
Trade Center towers seems to only go
back to September 11, 2001 when the
towers crashed after two airplanes hit
them as projectile missiles. As a day in
history, 9/11 will always be associated
with the new face of global terrorism,
the annihilated grandeur of the twin
towers, and with the screams of people
Twin towers of the World Trade Center under attack on
September 11, 2001
shouting for their lives, and for that of
others.
The United States of America had sustained much bigger losses
during the Civil War and the two World Wars than what was
inflicted on 9/11. However, it was the shock that was more over-
whelming than the above-mentioned wars, for there was no notice of the lurking terror
attack. Not even in their remotest thought was anyone prepared for such a catastrophe,
both physical and emotional. Moreover, it did not happen in the wilderness of a battlefield or at a faraway city under war threat, but in a peaceful city that had woken up to a
beautiful but ordinary day.
The loss of life of thousands of innocent civilians is incomparable and bigger than any
other, but almost all the industries suffered immensely due to this tragedy, art being
just one of them. Dietrich von Frank, the then President of the art insurance firm AXA
Art reported that art worth of at least $100 million was destroyed in the attack, if all the
private and corporate collections installed in the various offices in the Twin Towers are
evaluated. In fact, the art displayed in the public areas would alone value more than $10
million. The loss of so many art works in one blow is tremendous and irreparable.
Works destroyed during the 9/11 attacks included a painted wood relief by Louise Nevelson that was displayed in the mezzanine of One World Trade Center; a painting by Roy
Lichtenstein from his famous “Entablature” series from the 1970s that was installed in
the lobby of Seven World Trade Center; a bright-red 25-foot sculpture by Alexander Calder on the Vesey Street overpass at Seven World Trade Center; and Joan Miro’s “World
Trade Center” tapestry from 1974.
The 20’ x 35’ tapestry was one of the best works of Joan Miro, a Spanish surrealist
painter, sculptor, ceramicist and printmaker (1893-1983) and was displayed in the mezzanine of Two World Trade Center.
World Trade Center Tapestry by Joan Miro
20th century c.e.
Second World Trade Center,
New York City, United States of America
Destroyed on September 11, 2001
12’ x 18’
Digital Print on Vinyl
Fear Not:
Technology
and the
Digital Print
Recent work by Shaurya Kumar
I recently learned that Jpegs lose information each time
we open them. As a bit of a Luddite, I find technology to
be daunting and yet at the same time quite fascinating
and even necessary. Living in modern society, we cannot
get away from digital technology— cameras no longer
require film, communication is done through email and
text messaging, and we pay our bills without writing a
check or even stepping into a bank. Well, most of us.
As an individual who resists much digital technology, I prefer the analog version of most
things. I write letters, I read books with paper pages and I still call people on the telephone
when I want to have a conversation. All this by choice. However, as an artist, I have to use
computers to enter exhibitions, apply for residencies, communicate with others and find
information quickly. There is no denying the world we live in. In his most recent bodies of
work, Masterworks: Visualizations of Binary Degradation and The Lost Museum: The Fate of
World’s Greatest Lost Treasures, Shaurya Kumar taps into the plastic pixels of our technological world while addressing issues of memory and connections with art and cultures of
bygone eras. The Masterworks series was conceived from Kumar’s failure to safeguard the
history of precious digital communications with his family, including his wife, who was back
in his homeland of India. Emails that connected him to his support system were corrupt;
instantly these coveted keepsakes of these people and events were wiped out like a corrupt
hard drive. Precious and meaningful words were turned into the squares and numbers
we’ve all seen when a document fails to open correctly.
Not one to dwell, Kumar was inspired by this downfall. Working with a team of scientists
and computer programmers, he developed code to translate digital image files of famous
artworks into new digital prints based on the breakdown or changing of their binary code.
Images like Picasso’s Guernica are still somewhat recognizable after the degradation; the
viewer is able to connect the bull to a similar yet abstracted and disintegrated version of
this famous work. Artworks like Paul Klee’s Dreamcity seem like modern abstractions, slick
and shiny complete with a vinyl-like façade. Adding a more cerebral, yet fictitious, layer to
this digital commentary birthed the series The Lost Museum: The Fate of the World’s Greatest Lost Treasures. Closely tied to the Masterworks, this new series addresses the digital
realm of protection and loss even more so than Masterworks.
With the creation of convincingly imaginative, entities such as The Council for Documentation of Lost Art & Cultural Heritage (CDLACH), and the Program for Conservation of Art
in Electronic Media (PCAEM), Kumar sets the scene of pseudo-academia. Drawing from
real events, like the looting of Baghdad museums, bombings during WWII and September
11, 2001, the artist addresses issues of preservation, permanent loss and our collective
memory.
Written with the voice of an academic scholar, the statement and text panels paired with
the masterwork images are educational and quite plausible. One of the most poignant in
the series is based on the large tapestry by Joan Miro that was destroyed in the bombing of
the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. World Trade Center Tapestry After Joan Miro, the
largest in the series, is printed on 12’ x18” on outdoor vinyl, engulfing an entire wall with
saccharine dithering, the piece is a reminder of this tragic event. All that remains of the
artwork exists in a digital realm—never to be felt, smelled or seen in a physical dimension
again. In this regard, technology plays a crucial role in the preservation of great works of
art, and thus the identity of a culture and society.
But what happens when the technology that stores the memories of masterworks is precarious and fragile? Potential answers are found in The Lost Works-- an intriguing and in
some regard frightening look at the tight grip that technology has on our collective memory.
When asked if he would continue the ruse of Lost Museum by creating websites for CDLACH
and PCAEM, Kumar replied “Lost Museum is part fact and part fiction; it is just vague enough
causing the viewer to question which is truth and which is fiction.” We could discuss these
works in the context and theories of digital archaeology and technology but I do not think
it is necessary. The crux of the work becomes more about questioning our cultural experience rather than focusing on the technologies involved in producing the images. So it is
even as a Luddite, that I can appreciate the complexity and beauty of both Masterworks and
The Lost Museum.
The Lost Museum: The Fate of the World’s Greatest Lost Treasures was recently exhibited
at the Schneider Museum of Art at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon as part
of the larger exhibition, “Unintended Consequences and the Digital Age” as well as the Los
Angeles Center for Digital Art. Upcoming display of the works will be hosted in Manhattan at
the New Art Center for the tenth anniversary of 9/11.
Katie Christensen
Originally printed in Graphic Impressions,
The Journal of SGC International,
Spring Issue, 2011
Shaurya Kumar
Born in New Delhi, India. Lives and works in Chicago, IL.
Assistant Professor at School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
2011
Queens Museum of Art, Queens, NY; Charles B. Wang Center, NY; Alcon Gallery, NY; Jorgensen Center for Performing Arts, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Ct., “8th Annual Erasing Borders 2011: Exhibition of Contemporary Indian Art of the Diaspora”
Bradley University, Peoria, IL, “33rd Bradley International Print and Drawing Exhibition”
Education
2007
Master of Fine Arts (Studio Art). University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
2002
Bachelor of Fine Arts (Painting). University of Delhi, New Delhi, INDIA
2010
Xi’an Academy of Fine arts, Xi’an, China, “2010 Xi’an International Printmaking Exhibition”
East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, “A Survey of Contemporary Prints, Print Summit
2010”
Frans Masereel Centrum, Kasterlee, Belgium. “Artist in Residence”
LaGrange Art Museum, Lagrange, GA, “2010 xxvi LaGrange National Biennial”
Philagrafhika, Philadelphia, PA; Amsterdam Grafisch Atelier in the The
Netherlands; Cora Stafford Gallery, University of North Texas, TX; Rueff Galleries, Purdue
University, IN, “Transforming Technology”
Hongik Printmakers Association, Seoul, Korea, “The Stream of International Prints”
2009
Rajabhat Pibulsongkram Universities, Phitsanulok, Thailand, “Pixel Fusion”
Columbia College, Chicago, IL, “Migratory Adaptations”
Boston University, MA, “Boston Printmakers 2009 North American Print Biennial”
2008
Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences, New Jersey, “2008 Works on Paper
exhibition”
Dedalo Center for Contemporary Art, Abruzzo, Italy, “Printmaking Today”
Chaap - Vadodara, Gujarat, INDIA; College of Art, Goa, INDIA; University of Adelaide, Australia;
Grafikens Hus, Sweden; Hörnan Gallery, Sweden; Zayed University, Dubai; University of Colorado, U.S.A.; University of Tennessee, Knoxville, U.S.A.; College of Fine Art & Design, U.A.E.;
University of Wisconsin, U.S.A.; University of Akron, U.S.A.; Bowling Green State University,
U.S.A.; South Africa; Finland; Japan & Mauritius – “Ganjifa”
Selected Solo exhibitions
2013
2012
Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum (formally Victoria & Albert museum) Mumbai, India “The Lost
Museum”
SCA Contemporary, Albuquerque, NM, “Visualizations of Binary Degradation”
Lakeeren Gallery, Mumbai, India, “The Lost Museum: The Fate of World’s Greatest Lost Treasures”
Museum of Fine Arts, Milledgeville, GA, “Masterworks: Googlepaedic Narrations and the
Dysfunction of Damage”
SCF Gallery, Brandenton, FL, “Masterworks: Googlepaedic Narrations and the Dysfunction of
Damage”
2011
The New Art Center, NY, “The Lost Museum: The Fate of World’s Greatest Lost Treasures”
Robert E. and Martha Hull Lee Gallery, Miami, OH, “The Lost Museum: The Fate of World’s
Greatest Lost Treasures”
2010
Schneider Museum of Art, OR, “Unintended Consequences and the Digital Age”
Charleston Heights Art Center, Las Vegas, NV, “Masterworks: Visualizations of Binary Degradation”
2008
Los Angeles Center for Digital Arts, “The Lost Museum”
Selected Group Exhibitions
2012
University of New Mexico Art Museum, Albuquerque, NM, “Transformative Surface”
Lalik Kala Akademi, New Delhi & Lucknow India, “Multiple Encounters II”
2007
Boston University, MA, “Boston Printmakers 2007 North American Print Biennial”
Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi, India, “Art for Concern”
2006
Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea, “14th Seoul Space International Print Biennial”
Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal, India, “VII Bharat Bhavan International Biennial for Prints”
University of Hawaii, Hilo, “2006 Pacific States Biennial National Print Exhibition”
Smokebrush Gallery, CO, “Reimagining Guernica”
India Habitat Center, New Delhi, India; ABS Lanxess Gallery, Vadodara, Gujarat, India
“Amreekan Curry”
ABS Lanxess Gallery, Vadodara, Gujarat, India, “17 Young Artists from Delhi”
2004
Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal, India, “VI Bharat Bhavan International Biennial for Prints 2004”
explores the downside of the digital age”, http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
article?AID=/20100924/TEMPO/9240308/-1/rss11, accessed March 1, 2011
2003
India Habitat Center, New Delhi, India, “Confluence: Convergence of Interpolating Realities”
India Habitat Center, New Delhi, INDIA, “Navsar: Garland of 9 Strings”
2002
All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi, India, “Nokia Asia - Pacific Awards 2000”
2010
Works in Selected Permanent Collections
University of New Mexico Art Museum, Albuquerque, NM
Royal College of Art, Special Collections Library, London, U.K.
Kingston University, U.K.
Norske Grafikere, Oslo, Norway
New South Wales University, Sydney, Australia
National Academy of Art, Sofia, Bulgaria
Columbus College of Art & Design, Columbus, OH
Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Decoratifs, France
Frans Masereel Centrum, Belgium
Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts, Xi’an, China
SGC International Archives, University of Mississippi, MS
India Habitat Center, New Delhi
College of Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
Ewing Gallery of Art & Architecture, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
Numerous private collections in US, India, China
2009
2008
Selected Citations and Reviews of Exhibition/work
2012
2011
Emmons, Amze, “Shaurya Kumar’s Collapsing Memories,” http://www.printeresting.
org/2012/03/08/shaurya-kumars-collapsing-memory-palace/, accessed March 8, 2012
Das, Soma, “In Search of the Lost World,”, Mid Day, February 9, 2012, (Mumbai, India), p. 06
Ferell, Marilyn, “Visiting artist talks technology and art,” The Collonade, March 1, 2012
(Milledgeville, GA). also available on http://www.gcsunade.com/2012/03/01/visiting-artisttalks-technology-and-art/, accessed March 4, 2012
Christensen, Katie, “Fear Not: Technology and the Digital Print. Recent works by Shaurya
Kumar,’ Graphic Impressions, Spring 2011 (Boston, MA: SGC International), pp. 3-4
Kempson, Michael, “2nd International Printmaking Workshop, Xi’an, China,” Imprint Magazine, Vol. 46, No. 1, Spring 2011 (Sydney, Australia), pp. 10-11
Thompson, Johanna, “Unintended Consequences: New Schneider show looks at impact of
digital age”, Ashland Daily Tidings, September 28, 2010, http://www.dailytidings.com/apps/
pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100928/NEWS02/9280304/-1/rss01, accessed March 1, 2011
Thomas, Teresa, “Unintended Consequences, Schneider Museum’s new exhibit
Maureen, Gregory, “Save Changes? Yes No,” Desert Companion (Nevada Public Radio, Las
Vegas, NV),
September/October 2010, p. 74
Grabowski, Beth & Fick, Bill, “Printmaking: A Complete Guide to Processes and Materials”;
(Book is an international survey of contemporary printmaking published by Prentice, Inc.,
New Jersey, p. 37
Martin, Becca, “Artist Explores Destruction: Lost Art Lost Again in Shaurya Kumar’s Fictional Museum,” Morning News, Northwest Arkansas Times, p. 2C
“Lost Museum,” Fayettville Free Weekly, October 22, 2009, p. 5,11
Robertson, Erin, “Exhibit provides more than mere visual enjoyment,” The Arkansas
Traveler (http://www.uatrav.com/2009/11/04/exhibit-provides-more-than-mere-visualenjoyment/), accessed Nov 4
Kho, Chug-hwan, “The Streams of International Prints”, The Stream of International Prints:
The Evolution of Printmaking as a Medium of Communication, Seoul, Korea: Hongik Printmakers Association, p. 12
Chung, Moo-Jeong, “The Streams of International Prints”, Identity of Contemporary Printmaking and its Destination, Seoul, Korea: Hongik Printmakers Association, p. 17
Lane, Tahree, “Painting with Pixels: Artists use computers in myriad ways,” The Blade,
Toledo, OH pp. 4,5
Dupont, David, “Hand and the machine – BGSU exhibit looks at interconnected world of digital art,” Sentinel Tribune, Bowling Green, OH