Sponsorship Benefits

> Display the picture/company logo in the credits of the catalog, in the diptychs,

conference programs, invitation flyers, etc.

> Important advantages in the tax system of nonprofit organizations and of tax incentives for the companies involved in sponsorship.

> Private and guided tours for a certain number of guests from companies and the organization of a cocktail reception on the occasion of the première event.

> Recovery of the invested capital and the economic profit through the

collection of the tickets’ sale to the exhibition and related activities (conferences, courses, catalog sales, merchandising, among others).

Contact Information: info@cosmograma.eu (Barcelona, SPAIN) germay1@cosmograma.eu (GERMANY) / france1@cosmograma.eu (FRANCE)

Organized by:

Special collaboration of:

“In the present world situation it has become increasingly necessary to develop a certain extent of unity among the followers of the various religions. What is more, such unity is

not an impossible goal to reach”

The 14th DALAI LAMA.

“The warrior or universal emperor Chakravartin and his possessions,

Snow Lion, Kirtimukha, Garuda, Makara, or just a couple of yaks... evoke the universe to us.

Mythological creatures or real animals? The iconographic framework and decorative polychromed designs

in Tibetan furniture transport us to the Himalayas to introduce us to an hemisphere of an unfamiliar culture

and an artistic reference to be discovered”

is an ethnographic and decorative arts exhibition and the

final result of a meticulous compilation of items made with sense and visual sensibility; also a project of profound research which was carried out in different areas of the massif of the Himalayas, but particularly along the Lhasa-Kathmandu axis as a base for expeditions, research and documentation. Antique art with contemporary relevance: polychromed furniture with examples of traditional tools, sacred objects and the veneration rituals which are always present in the Tibetan atmosphere.

In the year 2006, it was started a line of cultural research about the motives and universal nature of the symbology which these type of artistic representations on wood hide: traditional paintings by anonymous artists who have transferred the job and the artistic knowledge from generation to generation, and which tell all the aspects of the same spiritual path through a complex iconographic structure which deepens in their culture, society and religion. Tibetan Buddhism is a culture known because of the empathy which generates in us, but it is slightly known except for its archetypes. Settled in the Himalayas and coexisting in the same geographical context (Tibet, Bhutan, North India and some areas and valleys from Nepal), it is still fighting to maintain its most ancestral values and traditions through the cult of religion, mythology and the chamanic and tantric beliefs. Throughout the centuries, it has become one of the most fascinating cultures of Central Asia. We invite you to enjoy visual meditation, to reflect upon the philosophy which emanates from these items and the complex iconographic tradition of its symbols, patterns and decorative designs. Beginning with the origins, the meanings and the functions, we will guide you through history for a better understanding of the conceptual framework of faith and religion, in the core of a society and of a thousand-year-old culture like this.

The proposal of an itinerant exhibition is meant for the local, regional or national museums and

archives, town halls, private entities, associations, foundations, charitable work, among other entities. The symbols of Tibetan Buddhism can be found in representations in

architecture (monasteries, houses, stupas, among others), are visible in nature (stones, mountains and peaks), are works of art (thang-kas, sculptures and figures) and are also polychromed and carved on the furniture. Precisely on the latter matter, this exhibition has no precedent in Europe, because we show items with spectacular paintings: Buddhic images, animals and mythological characters, custom scenes and geometric designs. They are icons which will strike the audience with the strength of its motives, the colours and the artistic technique, but most of all we are able to see the anthropologic reflection of the Buddhism as a spiritual path.The themes in the exhibition will basically be the followings:

> The decorative designs and the type of Tibetan secular and religious furniture: materials, building techniques, functionality, themes, patterns and motives (origins and meanings); with the

influence of the trading of products and fabrics with China and India as a source of inspiration and the syncretisms with cultures like Newari, Kashmir and Mongol. A video-report will show you the typological varieties, the most common affectations and the process of restoration and maintainance of the

polychromies. > The first auspicious symbols of offerings and emblems, the animals and mythological

creatures as an essential and vital part. Review of the portrayal of offerings and attributes in tantric art and religious rituals, but also of the principal figures and deities in the Tibetan pantheon (mudras) which appear in the polychromies.

> Localisation of the different areas and countries with Tibetan culture in the Himalayas. History, establishment and evolution of Tibetan Buddhism in the Himalayas: origins, orders and schools. The monastic life and the spiritual practices. We list some architectonic and natural symbols and cultural expression and recognition.

> Audiovisual presentations, conferences, exhibitions of photographs or other parallel acxtivities are also considered as optional. A new volunteering activity for children is introduced so that they can identify and draw animals

and natural symbols. The graphic and photographic support will help to understand the geographic and cultural context and the iconographic details.

The Stupa or Caytia is a memorial that represents the mind of Buddha and consecrates his physical remains with the attributes of many deities (Buddhist pantheon). The stupa is white or golden and is often held by a solid structure of stone or square base of lotus called the ‘lion's throne’; the bottom-up structure consists of a semi-spherical dome with a relic cavity and a superior capital composed of a maximum of thirteen concentric spheres. In the upper part, a red half moon, a solar disk and a flame are depicted. Symbolically, the stupa embodies a complex set of iconographic meanings and each of these components represents a specific aspect of the path to enlightenment.