Excursion to Amsterdam and Leiden - November 13-15, 2025
Excursion to the Collection “Asian Bronze” at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam - Tour with the curator Dr. Anna Slaczka.
Text by Noah Hener - Student
A group of students, faculty and researchers from the SAI visited the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam on 13th of November to explore the collection “Asian Bronze – 4,000 Years of Beauty” This remarkable exhibition is open from September 27, 2024, to January 12, 2025. It features 75 artifacts from 17 countries and showcases the enduring influence of bronze in Asian history and culture. The showcase rooms were designed by Aldo Bakker, who provided a creative and compelling presentation of the exhibits.
We were fortunate to receive a curator's tour from Dr. Anna Slaczka, museum curator at the Rijksmuseum and co-organizer of the exhibition. Among the standout pieces is a 3,500-year-old figurine from the Indus Valley and a 15th-century golden Tibetan statue, which, as neutron tomography revealed, contains hidden sacred objects. Our group was also captivated by the eighth-century Chinese bells, a testament to advanced acoustic engineering, and by Chola bronze statues demonstrating masterful casting techniques. For us students and researchers, the exhibition presented a valuable opportunity to engage with the historical and theoretical facets of bronze artistry, while also gaining insights into the layout of the exhibition and approaches to curate the displays.
Excursion to Leiden - Symposium “Visualizing Ancient Histories” organized by the PURANA Project
Text by Omid Kia - Student
On the 14th and 15th of November, students and faculty members from SAI attended an engaging symposium titled “Visualizing Ancient Histories” organized by the PURANA project in Leiden. This event featured a series of thought-provoking presentations covering a wide range of topics in South and Southeast Asian Studies.
During the two-day event, students had the opportunity to meet renown scholars from the Netherlands and abroad and get familiar with their latest research, spanning from puranic narratives in ancient Hindu temple depictions to later manifestations in Mughal-era translated manuscripts and colonial paintings and on to modern representations in contemporary architectural spaces, statues and other fine arts.
This gathering also offered an invaluable platform for scholars, academics, artists and curators to connect, exchange ideas, and delve deeper into the complexities of South Asian studies. We’re grateful to organizing committee at Leiden University for hosting such a vibrant academic event and providing a space for interdisciplinary dialogue.
Funded by the European Research council and led by Dr. Peter Bisschop, the Purana project focuses on the critical analysis of the most voluminous and enduring genre of Sanskrit literature, the Purāṇas. The project aims to trace the composition, transmission, translation, and agency of this encyclopedic body of works in their transregional and transhistorical context.
