Karen Pechilis et al. ed., "Devotional Visualities: Seeing Bhakti in Indic Material Cultures" (Bloomsbury, 2023)
New Books in Art
Deep Dive
Why did Karen Pechilis and Amy Ruth Holt decide to focus on the material visualities of bhakti imagery in their book?
They wanted to investigate how these images inspire, shape, convey, and expand visual practices of devotional communities and extend the reach of devotion in society in new and unexpected ways.
What are some of the unexpected communities of interpreters of bhakti images discussed in the book?
The book includes discussions on artisans, diaspora women, South Asian Sufis, businessmen, dancers, and filmmakers.
How does the book connect material and visual cultures in the context of bhakti?
It identifies devotional practices of looking, such as materializing memory, mirroring and immaterializing portraits, and shaping the return look, which illustrate modes of established and experimental image usage.
Why is bhakti one of the most-studied aspects of Indic devotionalism?
Bhakti is extensively studied due to its expression through emotive poetry, song, and vivid hagiographies of saints.
What is the significance of the cover image for 'Devotional Visualities: Seeing Bhakti in Indic Material Cultures'?
The cover image, 'Finding Home Fereshteh No. 75 Lilith' by Siona Benjamin, reflects the artist's multicultural identity and reclaims the figure of Lilith with feminine beauty, tying into the book's theme of pluralism and entanglement of traditions.
How does the book address the concept of darshan in relation to bhakti visualities?
The book discusses darshan as an established way of seeing, noting its hierarchical nature in temple settings and its democratization through roadside shrines, highlighting the participatory impulse of bhakti.
What are the three main practices of looking explored in the book?
The book explores materializing memory, mirroring and immaterializing portraits, and shaping the return look as key practices of looking in bhakti visualities.
How does the book challenge traditional views on sacralization of material objects?
It focuses on how memories dear to people become materialized in generative ways, rather than just sacralizing objects.
What is the significance of the female gaze in the context of bhakti visualities?
The female gaze, as performed through female bhakti saints, is critical of societal norms and calls attention to issues like violence against women, anchoring larger social messages in bhakti images.
What is the broader appeal of 'Devotional Visualities: Seeing Bhakti in Indic Material Cultures' to various disciplines?
The book appeals to a diverse audience interested in visual studies, material culture, performance theory, ethnography, and changing nature of temple and media imagery, as well as general readers interested in visual and cultural aspects of India.
- Collaboration began in 2013 at a conference organized by Karen Pechilis.
- The project evolved through multiple symposiums and panel discussions.
- The book's concept was formalized in 2019 after a symposium on Bhakti Visualities.
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