RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Ernest O. Britton

Without a doubt, the single most important religious art news of this week has been "The Empty Chair", but not Clint Eastwood's empty chair. Instead the news of the week is the empty chair (above) as a Hindu religious symbol. As explained by Professor Stephen Prothero of Boston University, this symbol represents the "indescribability of the divine" and is found throughout the island of Bali in Indonesia. During an American political week where I expected Mormon religious artist Jon McNaughton to seize my attention by his use of Christian-themed imagery to attack President Obama, a Christian movie actor accidentally introduced a Hindu question to American political discourse: Are we a nation driven by our connection to the divine, or by our disconnection? Because of Mr. Eastwood, Hinduism's empty chair is my NEWS OF WEEK.

In other Religious Art news from across the USA, and the world:

• Christianity in the Arts: Photographer Niccolo Cosme's exhibition opened in NYC. [More News]
• Judaism in the Arts: Barbara Kruger covers the Hirshhorn with "Belief & Doubt." [More News]
• Islam in the Arts: Photographer Lalla Essaydi featured in Newark Museum exhibit. [More News]
• Hinduism in the Arts: San Francisco Museum displays Lord Ganesha at airport. [More News]
• Buddhism in the Arts: Connecticut museum prepares for a transient Atta Kim. [More News]
• Interfaith in the Arts: Mythical star throwers, celestial bodies and darkness [More News]
• Movie Review: "Robot & Frank" surprises with its humanity. [More Reviews]

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