Art Exhibition
Manifesting Icons: The Materials and Making of Buddhist Visual Culture in Asia

Dates:
March 5 - June 2, 2026

Hours:
Mon-Sat 12:00pm-6:00pm
Closed on Sundays & Holidays (March 20, April 29, and May 24-26)

Location:
Murasaki Hall and Courtyard Gallery, The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles
5700 Wilshire Blvd, Ste 100, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Free Admission

Opening Reception:
7PM Thursday, March 5

RSVP preferred

Buddhist sutras explain that donating to projects like paintings and sculptures was a way for Buddhist devotees to accumulate good karma for themselves and their loved ones. Through this, they could be reassured of a good rebirth in a Buddhist paradise. 

This exhibition emphasizes the production of Buddhist visual culture across Asia. By displaying Buddhist sculptures and paintings alongside the materials and tools used to make them, we show that Buddhist art is the result of skilled labor using quality materials. 

Please sign up here for an exhibition walkthrough

This exhibition is organized by The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles. Art and artifacts generously loaned by Miya Ando, Risa and Chris Engle, Yoshio Ikezaki, and Windon Newton and Jeff Neff. Mineral specimens courtesy of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Tools and materials provided by Miya Ando, Dwight Hwang, Yoshio Ikezaki, LA Art Labs, and Michael VanHartingsveldt. Special thanks to Trevor Coopersmith for his diorama work. 

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