New Exhibit Opens featuring ROM’s Southeast Asian Collection

ROM’s newest exhibit, “Spirit & Utility: Art from Cambodia and Thailand,” opened over Thanksgiving weekend in the Middle East / South Asia Special Exhibit case, 3rd Floor Lee-Chin Crystal.

Mainland Southeast Asia is a region of great diversity with a long complex history. This is expressed through a visual culture that ranges from enduring stone sculpture to delicate fabric and paper-based creations. This exhibit focuses on the ROM’s small but varied collection of arts from the modern states of Cambodia and Thailand. These works reflect a marriage of spirituality and utilitarianism that is a distinguishing characteristic of the region. Despite the various political conflicts across the region through its history, visual expression remains a strong component of its varied cultures. This is underscored in this exhibit through ceramics, sculpture, painting, and clothing.

View of exhibit "Spirit & Utility: Art from Cambodia and Thailand"

Detail of rubbing from the Temple of Angkor Wat, built by King Suryavarman II (r.1113– c.1150 CE)

Museum staff fine-tunes section of exhibit showing Ban Chiang Culture ceramics.

Head of Buddha on display in exhibit, bronze, 16-17th century, Thailand. 936.43