Shiva Nataraja@Museum Rietberg.zh.ch

The Cosmic Dancer. Werner Abegg Gallery. Shiva is the driving force in the cycle of creation and decay, of life and death. Nearly all Hindu gods dance: the shepherd god Krishna, portly, elephant-headed Ganesha, the goddess Kali and the divine nymphs. But it is Shiva as the Nataraja, the Lord of the Dance, who creates, sustains and destroys the universe in his cosmic dance. The exhibition will offer visitors a sensory experience of its exquisite objects and their fascinating significance, as images, films, tableaux and spectacles invite them to step into the world of ancient cosmologies, myth, poetry and ritual as it exists to this day in the temples of Southern India. The exhibition features some 100 works of art, selected from among the prized possessions of leading museums in Europe, North America and India as well as from the Museum Rietberg’s own collection. At the centre of the show are Southern Indian bronzes and stone sculptures from the Chola dynasty (9th to 13th century), as well as precious paintings and wooden sculptures created in later periods. Di bis So 10 – 17 Uhr, Mi und Do 10 – 20 Uhr Eintritt CHF 16 / 12. Öffentliche Führungen So 11 Uhr, Mi 18 Uhr, Do 12.15 Uhr