Hexagonal Tile with Cloudband and Floral Arabesque, Turkey, Iznick; 1500–1550. Fritware with underglaze painting, 21.5 x 24.4 cm. Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Edwin Binney, 3rd Collection of Turkish Art at the Harvard University Art Museums, 1985.322. Photo: Photographic Services © President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Overlapping Realms presents a sampling of visual arts produced by the varied peoples who inhabited the region stretching from southern Europe through South Asia. Successive and shifting kingdoms and empires in the temporal world profoundly affected these artists who, in turn, contributed to its complex mix of cultures and identities. Different faiths, in particular Abrahamic and Indic religions, also influenced the artists' world views and in many ways determined their opportunities and modes of expression. Relying primarily on ceramics and metalwork, the exhibition emphasizes commonalities and continuities, even as it explores diversity of intention and technique.

Complementing this exhibition are two successive photographic installations, followed by rotations of other mediums, spotlighting themes, techniques, and artistic approaches within these cultures. Since the development of the medium of photography, European and South Asian photographers have imaged the geography, monuments, and people of India. The first installation, Focus on South Asian Photography: Imaging India in the 19th Century (Dec. 2–Feb. 25), will feature landscapes and portraits, including works by the English photographer Samuel Bourne and the Indian photographer Layla Deen Dayal. The second installation (Mar. 1–May 6) will feature contemporary works by photographers including Raghubir Singh, Dayanita Singh, and Nasreen Mohamedi. A third rotation (May 10–Sep. 23) will feature Indian Rajput miniature paintings, and other complimentary rotations will follow into 2008.

Organized by Mary McWilliams, Norma Jean Calderwood Curator of Islamic and Later Indian Art. The photography installations were curated by Kimberly Masteller, assistant curator of Islamic and later Indian art.