Yoga: The Art of Transformation

The exhibition’s 131 works, grouped into three themed galleries, shed light on the history of yoga art, the practice’s significance within Indian culture and religion, its movements across communities, and the genius of artists who transformed profound concepts into material form.

Key elements of yoga and the body, both the physical and subtle, are explored in the first theme.

We then look at the role of teachers, the importance of place in yoga practice, and the associations between yoga and power. The artworks also show ways yoga practitioners (yogis) have been understood and imagined in Indian and Western popular cultures.

Yoga and science are the subjects in our third theme. Through the works of Indian philosophers, medical practitioners, and yoga teachers, we locate the origins of many features of modern yoga as a regimen for health, fitness, and spiritual well-being.

Main image: Three aspects of the Absolute, page 1 from a manuscript of the Nath Charit (detail), 1823, by Bulaki (Indian, active early 1800s). India; Rajasthan state, former kingdom of Marwar, Jodhpur. Opaque watercolor and gold on paper. Courtesy of the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, RJS 2399.