The Lost Museum: The Fate of World’s Greatest Lost Treasures is the title of an exhibition by Shaurya Kumar which opens at the University of Arkansas’ Fine Arts Center Gallery on October 26 and continues through November 18, 2009. Kumar based The Lost Museum on analysis of digital archiving methods used to document art and culture. The artifacts in this so-called “museum” are digital prints constructed from images of treasures either missing or destroyed during acts of war and violence throughout history. The images seek to re-create an archival record of works such as a Buddhist mural painting destroyed by the Taliban and a tapestry by Spanish artist Joan Miro that once hung in the World Trade Center in New York. Unfortunately, the instability of digital archiving methods is demonstrated by the degeneration of these important images, which represents yet another destruction of the world’s greatest treasures.
Shaurya Kumar will present a visiting artist lecture on Thursday, October 29 at 5 pm in Room 213 of the Fine Arts Center with a reception to follow. This event is free and open to the public.
Kumar is currently an assistant professor of art at Bowling Green State University, where he is developing a new program of Hybrid Art, integrating traditional 2D art methods with digital technology. He holds a BFA from the University of Delhi, India and an MFA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
For more information about the exhibition and to see images of the work, please visit the artist’s website at:
www.shauryakumar.com