Yisulang Art Gallery in collaboration with The Luxe Art Museum features works by 12 artists Bamazaxi, Benba, Tsering Namygai, Dezhoin, Gade, Han Shuli, Domin.Norbu Tsering, Jimei Chilei, Lhaba Tsering, Li Zhibao, Zhai Yue Fei and Yu Youxin who make up the exhibition “Realms of Purity: Realms of Experience: From Divinity to Humanity – An Exhibition of Contemporary Tibetan Art”.
Situated between the two ancient civilizations of China and India, lies the tangled mountain ranges of the Tibetan Plateau and the towering Himalayas serve to distance it from both. Tibet is a mysterious land with extreme terrain and climate, a territory that has yet to be entirely explored and mapped. Tibet is also known as "the roof of the world" or "the land of snows", home to a particularly refined spiritual form of Buddhism and nomadic people. A culture steeped in esoteric Buddhist traditions and ancient beliefs, renowned for its colourful and beautifully intricate religious arts and motifs, has sprung forth modern artistic interpretations of life in this vast and sublimely majestic landscape. The exhibition “From Divinity to Humanity” attempts to showcase some of these contemporary Tibetan art pieces.
It is a relatively recent situation for Tibetans to remove art from its iconographical, religious origins of thangkas and scrolls and re-contextualize it within the modern dialectic. There are some who have returned to the traditionalist styles of their forefathers, painting thangka (religious scroll paintings) that retain the iconographic and aesthetic qualities of earlier work. Others follow a 'middle way' combining lessons from the art of the past with motifs and techniques that reflect Tibet’s modernity. Yet another group is inventing a completely new type of Tibetan painting which draws inspiration from contemporary art movements in Asia and the West to produce radical, even avant-garde, works. However, all three approaches are to some extent engaged in a dialogue with the past and with the works of Tibetan artists of previous centuries.
A special feature of Contemporary Tibetan art is its use of the (mineral pigments on cloth) painting method inherited from traditional Thangka painting. What gives contemporary Tibetan art its distinctive character is not that its contents differ from other types of paintings? Its uniqueness lies in the roots of its contents and the energy that it conveys. The energy that it puts forth allows viewers to experience the visual arts from a whole new intuitive perspective. Depictions of highland barley fields, yaks, symbols, and the Himalayas tells stories of the human condition and highlights the unpretentious nature of Spirit. Therein lies its attractiveness. Contemporary Tibetan Art allows us to more easily understand what it means by “the persuasive power of art”
Contemporary Tibetan artists defy expectations as they address the rapid social, psychological and economic changes, they are confronting as a people who are equally concerned about losing their traditions in the overwhelming cultural tsunami of rapid globalization.
This Exhibition portrays a powerful combination of traditions and modernity.
