This book, published to accompany the exhibition of the same name, is a visual exploration of the diverse manifestations of art in Thailand, stretching back in time to the sixth century CE and reaching into the late twentieth century. The variety of objects, regions, and time periods represented in the catalog together with the quality of the selected works of art is a reflection of the amount of time that went into planning the exhibition. This was achieved because of the “close collaboration” between the Asian Civilisations Museum of Singapore, which organized the exhibition and published the catalog, and the Fine Arts Department of the Thai Ministry of Culture, which loaned many of the objects in the exhibition (p. 5). Just seeing the large color photos of artworks that likely spend their time in various museums around Thailand is a treat, but these images are far from all that the publication has to offer. Enlightened Ways has benefit for both specialists and those new to the field of Thai art. For those new to the subject, the background and history are outlined clearly, with a page titled “Note to the Reader” that explains basic terms used throughout the book.
The introductory essay is by the exhibition's curator, Heidi Tan. In it she outlines the goals of the exhibition and publication, stating that one focus is the “multiplicity of Buddhist art and practice,” incorporating the attempt to “understand the thoughts of local practitioners and the documentation of their role in ritual contexts” (p. 8). In her introduction, Tan balances these goals with providing the requisite background on Thai art history. She outlines chronologically the various kingdoms from which artistic styles are given their names. Towards the end of the introductory essay, she provides a basic explanation of the role of merit in art production and looks at how Thai Buddhism has continued to survive as a popular religion, leading into the following essays of the book.
A series of five essays about various aspects of Thai Buddhist art provide the intellectual heart of the book. These essays offer insight into the function of many of the objects included in the catalog and the reasons that they hold meaning in Thai culture. The essays are enhanced with a generous number of figures that add support to the discussions and to the overall goals of the book to tie together art and practice. Peter Skilling's essay, “The Aesthetics of Devotion,” is an example of what Skilling does well, combining his enviable command of Buddhist texts with his understanding of the role of art in Buddhist practice of the past and present. Here, he surveys a variety of media and provides a discussion of their presence, meaning, and history in Thailand, within the context of the Buddha's body and teachings. This essay complements the goals of the publication and leads to the more in-depth essays that follow.
Other essays include John Listopad's “The Walking Buddha in Thailand,” Amara Srisuchat's “Naming the Buddha: Thai Terms for Images of the Buddha,” and Justin McDaniel's “A Buddha in the Palm of your Hand: Amulets in Thai Buddhism.” These three essays together cover aspects of popular Thai Buddhist art, looking at the connection between images and practice. These are important steps to be taken in the discussion of Buddhist art, and reflect an overall movement in the field away from iconographic and stylistic analysis to one that has a stronger connection to the people and culture from which the objects come. Listopad's essay examines the well-known image of the walking Buddha, and its changing popularity and meaning in fourteenth- and fifteenth-century kingdoms. He uses the contexts of practice at monasteries, cultural exchange, and rising wealth through trade to develop his understanding of the unique meaning and style of the Thai walking Buddha. Using a select few Buddha images, in his essay, Amara makes a connection between Thai names of the Buddha and expressions of faith as a reminder of the power that Buddha images hold in Thailand, and their direct connection to kings, monks, and place. Justin McDaniel's essay takes themes seen in the previous essays and personalizes them by showing the power of objects (in this case, amulets) to connect practitioner and specialist and so much more. Though amulets are quite small, they may be some of the most important of Thai Buddhist art because of their proliferation; longstanding popularity; and roles in the political, religious, and social economy of Thailand.
The final essay in the book is “Trees of Offering: The Salak Yom Festival in Lamphun Province,” written by Alexandra Denes. This essay offers a fresh perspective on the overall themes of the book by providing a detailed examination of contemporary practice as manifested in a local festival in northern Thailand. Here we learn that in this Salak Yom festival, villagers create large merit-making offering “trees” that incorporate many different offerings and have a symbolic tie to the past and the future. Through her essay, Denes delves into popular Buddhist practice, the role of the arts, and the adaptability of these aspects of Thai Buddhism to ensure survival over time.
The catalog of objects from the exhibition forms the bulk of the book, with an image of a single object presented per page in detailed color photographs that give the reader a good sense of each object's features. The artworks are organized using different methods: the first sixty-seven objects (sculptures, for the most part) are presented chronologically by kingdom; eleven objects are presented as examples of “Brahmanism in Thailand”; and the final eighty-seven objects are organized by medium under the larger categorization of merit-making objects.
The stated goals of connecting Buddhist practice with art objects are successfully met through various approaches by the book's contributors, and it is likely to be useful to a variety of readers, including museum professionals and students of Thai art. Thai Buddhist art is a rich field of inquiry to which Enlightened Ways adds a wide-ranging voice, and it would be a welcome addition to any collection on the subject. In recent years, the Asian Civilisations Museum has contributed colorful books that have made many significant contributions to the fields of South and Southeast Asian art, of which this is one. Hopefully the museum will continue in this publishing role for years to come.
