Reflecting “Eastern spirituality” and esotericism in the research-based art exhibition

Abstract

The article reflects on the intertwining of research and curating in relation to the Eastern Spirituality exhibition and presents its main themes and theoretical starting points. The research-based exhibition, which ran at the Museum Villa Gyllenberg from April to August 2023, explored how artists in Finland imagined and depicted “Eastern spirituality” from the late nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth century. The project brings forth artists’ conceptions of Asian religions and the more vaguely defined “East” as a positive “Other”, marked by a particular aura of spirituality. Discourses on Eastern spirituality contain many challenging and problematic dimensions, such as those intertwined with colonialism. Additionally, “Eastern spirituality” is closely intertwined with esotericism, the role of which has recently been actively discussed in relation to modern art.