Packing a brightly-coloured hat and stashing some josticks in her back pocket, Emma Midgley headed over the pass for a real Tibetan experience.
Currently on display at the October Gallery is a unique collection of contemporary Tibetan Buddhist art, and a photography exhibition documenting the modern history of Tibet.
The Radiant Transmission exhibition is a ground-breaking collection of modern Tibetan Buddhist art – the first of its kind in Britain and is on until October 18.
The collection is mainly composed of thankga paintings. These are religious paintings inspired by Tibetan Buddhism, which depict peaceful as well as wrathful deities.
Thankga paintings are painstakingly detailed in their depictions of Buddhist Gods. Magnifying glasses are available to study the minute individual brush-strokes and details of tiny dancing figures, gods and animals on the canvas.
It can take over three years to complete each painting, and lapis lazulu, turquoise and gold are used to create vibrant colour and texture. The colours set the mood and tone of the paintings of various deities.
The thangka paintings communicate Tibetan Buddhist teachings through visions of enlightenment. Each detail of the artwork has significance in the teachings of Buddhism. These are primarily religious paintings.
This is most clearly seen in a painting of the Wheel of Life. Mortals suffer and die, while demons dance in a fiery hell and deities look on from their fruitful paradise.
While the paintings depict the religion of Tibet, the nationality of the artists hints at Tibet’s troubled times.
As China seeks to destroy the traditional art and religion of Tibet, many Tibetan artists have fled to Nepal and India, where most Tibetan art is now produced.
In addition to the classical thangka paintings, there is a photographic installation by Gonkar Gyatso. Gyatso was born to communist parents in Tibet in 1962, and was brought up to believe Chinese communist ideology – that Tibetan art was degenerate and backward.
At 21 he returned to his home town of Lhasa and began to discover Tibetan culture and art. He now lives in exile as part of the Tibetan community in Dharamsala.
His installation vividly depicts an ancient culture superimposed by a powerful communist empire. He is photographed in the same pose as a communist worker, a monk and a young western artist.
Tibet’s history is explored in a second exhibition, A Long Look Homeward, on until September 20. A collection of photographs documents how the Chinese invasion of Tibet led to the destruction of ancient buildings, traditions and religion.
The collection also includes testimonies from Tibetans who suffered punishments for opposing the Chinese communist regime and describes the hazardous crossing many Tibetans make over the Himalayas to reach sanctuary in neighbouring Nepal and India.
The two collections give a fascinating insight into the complexities of Tibetan Buddhist art and highlight the plight of Tibet under Chinese occupation.
October Gallery
24 Old Gloucester Street, London, WC1N 3AL
Open: Tue-Sat 1230-1730
