Name/Title
Montien Boonma : temple of the mindEntry/Object ID
N9500.B66.T46Description
Preeminent Thai artist, considered by some to be the face of Buddhism in contemporary art. In the troubled and turbulent context that was life at the end of the 20th century, Boonma explored art as a space of refuge and peace. His inspiration derived from his Buddhist faith and his own spiritual quest, which he communicated to the viewer through drawings, mixed media works, and installations. His contemplative art provided a way of life, an alternative to the Western idolatry of the ego. Rarely employing the figurative, Boonma used shapes, forms, and different textures to explore the process of meditation and healing, and to reflect an inspirational and tragic life in which love, death, and rebirth intertwined. Heeding the warnings of a Buddhist monk who predicted that their love would lead to untold suffering, he and his wife lived apart from the day they were married. Her death from breast cancer inspired some of his most beautiful work. His own premature death in August 2000 marked a great loss to contemporary Asian art.Collection
Carol Westfall CollectionLexicon
Search Terms
artist monographs, carol westfall collection, exhibition catalogsBook Details
Author
Montien BoonmaPublisher
Asia Ink/Asia SocietyDate Published
2003Call No.
N9500.B66.T46ISBN
953783928, 9780953783922LCCN
2002114115Notes
Length: 152