So Serene: Buddhist Art Show Graces Tadao Ando's Pulitzer Foundation in St. Louis

ARTINFO
By Janelle Zara

MISSOURI - At the entrance of the Pulitzer Foundation of the Arts in St. Louis, visitors are greeted by "Standing Prince Shōtoku at Age Two," a wooden sculpture of Japan's storied early follower of Buddhism, poised in silent prayer as the noise and light of the outside world are lost behind closed doors. Beyond this Entrance Gallery, there are two dozen incarnations of Buddha, his teachings, and his followers, dating back to the second century, B.C., spanning all across Asia and a bit into the Western world. They make up "Reflections of the Buddha," the first exhibition in the foundation's 10th anniversary season. The exhibition is quite a tranquil experience. Although the Pritzker Prize-winning architect behind the structure, Tadao Ando, is not a practicing Buddhist, it resonates with Zen-like qualities, according to curator Francesca Herndon-Consagra. It's what inspired her to put together this show. [link]