LOTUS and MANDALA | Contemporary arts and crafts exhibition and fair | Autumn edition

LOTUS and MANDALA | Contemporary arts and crafts exhibition and fair | Autumn edition

6 Oct 2024, 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Ferenc Hopp Museum of Asiatic Arts, garden

The lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is an aquatic plant of the warm tropical regions of Asia and Australia. Its large, waxy, shield-shaped leaves can grow to an average person’s height above the water's surface, and the long stems bear large, bright, pink, fragrant flowers above the water. Each plant grows out of a network of roots that often covers the entire lakebed.

In India, the lotus is regarded as the noblest and the most beautiful of all flowers. They have separate words for the bud, the lotus in bloom, as well as the overblown lotus flower — symbolizing the past, the present and the future, together representing the passing of time in Brahmanism, becoming symbol of pure teaching in Buddhism. The Buddha's throne is also a lotus, the buds are the bodhisattvas, while the flower is a symbol of the Buddha himself. The white lotus is a symbol of purity. It is considered pure because it does not touch the mud or the water from which it grows. Brahma appeared on the lotus growing from the navel of Lord Vishnu, and this lotus is the seat while sitting on which he created the entire universe. Many of the deities hold lotus flowers in their hands, and most of them sit on lotus flowers in various depictions, which are called padmāsana (āsana = seat). The spiritual effect of the lotus is considered to be extremely beneficial.

It is also known as an important agricultural crop. Its thick, hollow rootstalk is consumed raw or used to make starch, its leaves are used for wrapping food, while the seeds are eaten as a delicacy. The germination capacity of the seeds is said to last for hundreds of years. It is very common to include depictions of the lotus in greeting cards.

EXHIBITING ARTISTS:

Program:

10:30–11:00: Odissi dance performance by Aniruddha Das, professional dancer, resident artist of the ICCR Hungary – Amrita Sher Gil Cultural Centre

11:30–12:30: Interactive performance by bansuri player Dániel Rubin

13:00–14:00: The Lotus Flower, Pinnacle of Perfection – Lecture by Japanese garden design expert Zita Gódorné Hazenauer ( Ferenc Hopp Museum of Asiatic Arts)

15:00–16:00: Ágnes Megyeri: Vasati – Indian system of organizing space in accordance with the laws of nature (MANDALA lecture series 2.)

16:00–17:30: Éva Rambala: Power or Violence – Nonviolence in everyday life (MANDALA lecture series 2.)
Would you like to find real joy in your interpersonal relationships instead of yielding to fight, flight or freeze? Are you tired of being misunderstood despite your best intentions? If the answer is yes, we would like to invite you to an interactive lecture where Éva Rambala presents the outlook and praxis of nonviolent communication, which enable the listeners to transform past conflicts into dialogues. The lecture is held on the 2nd of October, the anniversary of the birth of Gandhi — the International Day of Non-Violence since 2007. The event is part of the MANDALA lecture series accompanying the exhibition Land of Buddhas | Gandhāra.

Activities available throughout the event:

10:00–17:00: Museum education workshop: Participants are invited to create land art mandalas, mandala badges, and lotus wagashi in a workshop conducted by museum educator Katalin Szeivolt

Special ticket price applies for this event: 2500 HUF
Free for children aged between 0 and 6 years, no other discounts apply.
The ticket is also valid for the exhibition on the day of the event.

Tickets are available on the day of the event at the Hopp Museum ticket office.