The Powerhouse Museum in Sydney presents a new exhibition 'Five Hundred Arhats of Changnyeongsa Temple' from 2 December 2021.

The Five Hundred Arhats were discovered in 2001–02 among the ruins of the Changnyeongsa temple in Yeongwol, Gangwon-do Province in South Korea and are believed to be between 600 and 1000 years old. In Buddhism, an arhat — or nahan in Korean — is one who has attained enlightenment. ‘Five Hundred Arhats’ refers to the five hundred disciples of the Buddha who gathered together in order to compile his teachings into the Buddhist sutras.

This exhibition features one Buddha and 50 arhat statues with lifelike expressions, from joy and serenity to anger and sorrow: the gamut of human emotion. The faces of childlike simplicity and aura from enduring spiritual practices inspire us to reflect upon our own mind and spirit.

Incorporated into an installation created by artist Kim Seung Young made up of more than 1000 audio speakers, the exhibition suggests the arhats are meditating in an attitude of intimate, reclusive poise amidst a cacophony that evokes the distracting bustle of urban life.

Produced in collaboration with the Chuncheon National Museum of Korea the exhibition marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Australia and South Korea and serves as a poignant reminder that each of us is a noble being with the potential to attain enlightenment.

Partner

Chuncheon National Museum of Korea

Major Sponsor
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea

Supporters
Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange
Korean Cultural Centre Australia
Australia-Korea Foundation, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Find out more: https://www.maas.museum/event/five-hundred-arhats/