Alex Geldzahler, Contributing Photographer

In the latest installation at the Yale University Art Gallery, Denise Leidy, curator of Asian Art,  and Sadako Ohki, associate curator of Japanese Art, bring together a varied collection of animal representations spanning cultures and periods. 

The works on view explored animals in East Asian art, with a focus on the 12 zodiac signs. In another section of the gallery, visitors could see objects — including paintings, metalwork, ceramics and a tapestry — that illustrate literary themes of West and South Asian culture.

“It’s laid out in a way that allows you to immerse yourself in the time and place of the art being shown,” said Eston Kallins ’28. “I think the layout of the space applies a peaceful sentiment that complements the art.”

Curators intentionally limited the display to a select number of works and, arranging them in a sparse layout that draws attention to each piece’s distinctive character. 

The announcement of the exhibit coincided with the 2025 Lunar New Year, which accounts for the emphasis of the new exhibit on zodiac signs and their symbolic presence within art spanning across Asia. 

The YUAG’s permanent collection of Asian art contains around 8,000 works, but only a few select objects are on display at any given time. Because of conservation requirements, all ancient paintings and textiles in this collection are rotated every six months. 

Each installation rotation falls under a certain theme, so as to put works in dialogue with one another.

The pigments and the paper are light-sensitive and may fade, which prevents objects from being on view for too long. Curatorial decisions factor in how long an object has been out of view and what storylines can be developed from the object. 

This installation was framed around two distinct themes: first, the 12 Eastern zodiac animals and second, East and West Asian literature. 

The gallery recently acquired Ganjavi Nizami’s “Bahram Gur Visits the Sandalwood Pavilion from the Seven Portraits (Haft Peykar),” which was displayed in the exhibit. This object — composed of opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper — hails from Iran during the Safavid Period.

Leidy said that because “there’s such a strong literary basis to both West Asian and Indian painting,” the installation also involved visual depictions of literary themes. 

The exhibit also featured pieces from Xu Beihong and Konoshima Ōkoku that highlight the symbolic presence of zodiac signs in Asian art. 

“I’ve known about zodiac signs but have never really understood much about the background or how it’s explored through into art so this exhibition is super interesting,” said Maria Goncalves ’28. “I especially love how, when you look closely at the dragon with a crystal ball, you can almost see a panoramic view of the installation through the crystal ball. ”  

The pieces often differ in period and subject, allowing museum visitors to consider the exhibit’s uniting themes and their evolution over time.

The exhibit deliberately interacts with the space, separating the literary excerpts from the rest of the gallery. The positioning of the works invites attendants to circle through the multimedia collections before exploring the rest of the Asian Art wing of the museum. 

Along with pieces from seminal works of West and South Asian literary culture, the exhibit also showcases various ceramic pieces ranging from small, previous netsuke to various pieces of household glassware. 

The exhibit is on view until May 2025.