Tantra is a term usually associated with sex or yoga.
Like many things that are dismissed when oversimplified, the real story of Tantra is far more complex. Inside religious practice, Tantra has inspired many people to a certain style of greatness.
The British Museum is currently holding an exhibition in Tantra that shines a light on the various styles and forms that have evoked the raw power of the theories.
It is not all about sex, but predictably, it is a lot about sex.
The British Museum website had this to say:
A philosophy originating in medieval India, Tantra has been linked to successive waves of revolutionary thought, from its sixth-century transformation of Hinduism and Buddhism, to the Indian fight for independence and the rise of 1960s counterculture.
Elements of Tantric philosophy can be found across Asia’s diverse cultures, but it remains largely unknown – or misrepresented – in the West. The exhibition showcases extraordinary objects from India, Nepal, Tibet, Japan and the UK, from the seventh century AD to the present, and includes masterpieces of sculpture, painting, prints and ritual objects.
You can find out more about it here.
You can read a review of the exhibition here.
