In this gallery talk, Trian Nguyen examines Daoist traditions through scrolls depicting deities and scenes tied to Yao cultural practice and religious ritual: initiation into the shaman path, full ordination to become a high shaman priest, and the way to Daoist heaven. Nguyen is Associate Professor and Chair of Art & Visual Culture at Bates College.

#CultureFix is a short format, informal gallery talk featuring artists, curators and other luminaries. No reservation required. Culture Fix programs are free of charge.

Parking available in UCLA Lot 4, 221 Westwood Plaza, directly off Sunset Blvd | $12/day
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About the Exhibition

How to Make the Universe Right (July 30, 2017–January 7, 2018) presents a large selection of rare religious scrolls, ceremonial clothing, and ritual objects of the Yao, Tày, Sán Dìu, Cao Lan, Sán Chay, Nùng, and other populations of northern Vietnam and southern China. Each group has their own traditions of educating and initiating priests and shamans, who serve as intermediaries between the physical and spiritual worlds and between the community and deities, in order to make the universe right through healing, balancing the forces of nature, and communicating with ancestors.

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