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Crosscurrents
Crosscurrents
Crosscurrents is our award-winning radio news magazine, broadcasting Mondays through Thursdays at 11 a.m. on 91.7 FM. We make joyful, informative stories that engage people across the economic, social, and cultural divides in our community. Listen to full episodes at kalw.org/crosscurrents

Centuries of hell and torment at the Asian Art Museum's new exhibit

KALW | By Jeneé Darden
Published July 26, 2023 at 6:00 AM PDT
Memorial portraits of actors Nakamura Utaemon IV, Ichikawa Danjuro VIII, and Bando Shuka II, 1854. Japan, Edo period (1615–1868). Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and colors on paper. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, William Sturgis Bigelow Collection, 11.19707, 11.21372, 11.25017. Photograph © 2023 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Photo Provided from PR Asian Art Museum
Memorial portraits of actors Nakamura Utaemon IV, Ichikawa Danjuro VIII, and Bando Shuka II, 1854. Japan, Edo period (1615–1868). Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and colors on paper. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, William Sturgis Bigelow Collection, 11.19707, 11.21372, 11.25017. Photograph © 2023 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

This interview aired in the July 26, 2023 episode of Crosscurrents.

The San Francisco Asian Arts Museum has a devilishly unique exhibit. “Hell: Arts of Asian Underworlds,” takes visitors through various depictions of the infernal afterlife in Asian cultures. The works range from grotesque to playful.

Museum curator Jeff Durham spoke with KALW’s Jenee Darden about the spiritual meanings behind the art.

"Hell: Arts of Asian Underworlds" is running until September 18.

This interview was co-produced by Kelby McIntosh and Porfirio Rangel.

Click the play button above to listen to the interview
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Jeneé Darden
Jeneé Darden is an award-winning journalist, author, public speaker and proud Oakland native. She is the executive producer and host of the weekly arts segment Sights & Sounds as well as the series Sights + Sounds Magazine. Jeneé also covers East Oakland for KALW. Jeneé has reported for NPR, Marketplace, KQED, KPCC, The Los Angeles Times, Ebony magazine, Refinery29 and other outlets. In 2005, she reported on the London transit bombings for Time magazine. Prior to coming to KALW, she hosted the podcast Mental Health and Wellness Radio.
See stories by Jeneé Darden