s e v a k h a l s a . c o m
R U B I N M U S E U M O F A R T
The Rubin Museum of Art in New York City approached me to design the ‘Guru’s platform’ for the Sikh Exhibition ‘I See No Stranger: Early Sikh Art and Devotion’. The exhibition ran from September 2006 through January 2007. Most of the
paintings and textiles featured in the exhibition were over a hundred years old. I researched the look of the Guru’s throne and constructed a manji sahib. To match the more homespun look of the times, I chose tea-dyed fabric and added a simple braided trim to the piece covering the Guru and placed jeweled pieces on top, draping down the front. A matching fabric was chosen for the chandoah, which was simply constructed with gold tassels on the corners. It aimed to be historical in its representation and contain a reverence for the Guru, without the Siri Guru Granth Sahib present.
The Rubin Museum is a beautiful and uplifting place containing an extensive Himalayan art collection. While in New York, take the opportunity visit, or go to their website, www.rmoanyc.org.
Reference material for the manji sahib was drawn from a painting of the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the book
Photo of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib
at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India
Guru’s platform with manji Sahib and chandoah
Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Lord of the Five Rivers
