Unexpected Lineages: From Traditional to Contemporary Tibetan Art
By Tamar Scoggin, curator ofOld Soul, New Art
Mechak's inaugural exhibition, Old Soul, New Art: The Works of Three Contemporary Tibetan
Artists, not only commemorates a new lineage in Tibetan artistic expression, it celebrates the
art work of self-determination and self-realization, art work that in its cultural complexity and
personal profundity finds meaning in us all.
Exhibitions on the art of Tibet usually focus on works created from the tenth to the mid-twentieth
centuries. From religious scroll paintings called thangkas, to iconic sculptures, to many ritual and folk
objects, these artistic works of classical Tibetan Buddhist culture are collected and appreciated by
audiences the world over.
If we look deeper into the history and present condition of Tibetan art and society, however, we
find that this popular version Tibetan art is but a part of the history and definition of "Tibetan art."
From prehistoric rock art of the Zhangzhung Kingdom, to the contemporary art featured in the
exhibition, Old Soul, New Art, Tibetan art can be seen as old as two millennia and as conceptually
challenging as the postmodern art work emerging from the Western art galleries today.
Tibetan art not only operates in a changing historic and social context, but in a multicultural context
too. Classical Tibetan art has been recognized as a blend of influences from India, Nepal, Central Asia,
Mongolia, and China, resulting in "a tradition so distinctive and vibrant that it came to influence the
arts of other cultures." In the past fifty years, however, artistic influences from other cultures have
been perceived as highly problematic to the point of exclusion from what constitutes legitimate
"Tibetan art."
While this exhibition does not feature any works that highlight the Socialist Realism movement that
occurred in Tibet at the onset of Chinese communist rule in 1959, this movement is nevertheless
an important chapter in the history of Tibetan art. If overlooked, our understanding of the history
of Tibetan art ignores the social and cultural issues that contemporary Tibetan artists confront in
their work today.
Perhaps less salient, but similarly irreconcilable to the existing definition of "Tibetan art", is the
influence that American, Australian, British, Japanese, and Indian cultural aesthetics have had on
Tibetan art in the past fifty years. These influences have primarily arrived through living in exile and
the exposure to non-Tibetan societies. Rather than distancing themselves from tradition and their
Tibetan identity, Tibetan artists working in this multicultural intersection are re-establishing links
between tradition and modernity. Tibetan artists are not only reinventing Tibetan artistic expression
through experiments with new materials, techniques and compositional styles, they are also
rediscovering elements of Tibetan history and art that have been overlooked by recent historical
events. As such, they are speaking for a generation of Tibetans who explore cultural hybridity as
an alternative to cultural isolation, integration and engagement with the world instead of a
separation of self and society.
Unexpected Lineages: A Timeline of Tibetan Art
~1000 BC Images representing the culture of the Shang Sung Kingdom are carved onto rock faces
~600 AD Buddhism is introduced to the Tibetan empire of kings through contact with Buddhist
cultures in Central Asia, India, Nepal, and China
~900 Second diffusion of Buddhism in Tibet, signals the beginning of a classical era in Tibetan
Buddhist art and culture
Circa 1930 Famed artist Gendun Choephel trains at Shantineketan University, India
1959 Tibet comes under the rule of the People's Republic of China, the classical era in Tibetan
Buddhist art and culture comes to a close
~1960-1969 The first major exhibitions of Tibetan art in the West take place at the Asia Society
and Riverside Museum in New York
1966-1976 The Cultural Revolution, a campaign to further reform Chinese socialist society, results
in the proliferation of Chinese Socialist Realism art work
1977 Era of Liberalization begins in China and Tibet, Tibetans sent to train in art schools in Beijing
encounter less Socialist Realism training and more exposure to Western artistic traditions
1985 The first ever Tibetan-run artists association, called "The Sweet Tea House Artists Association"
is founded in Lhasa, Tibet by Gonkar Gyatso and four other artists; their mission is to create and
exhibit art work that is a return to their diminished Tibetan roots; they disband after government
intervention requires them to incorporate artists outside their mission
1990-1991 The "International Year of Tibet" is commemorated by the exhibition Wisdom and
Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet
1993 The first exhibition of contemporary Tibetan art by Gonkar Gyatso is held in Dharamsala,
India to commemorate His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama's 65th birthday
1999 A second exhibition of contemporary Tibetan art by Karma Phuntsok is held at the Namgyal
Monastery in Dharamsala, India; titled "Continuum" it is the first exhibition by a Tibetan artist
trained exclusively in exile
2000 Tibetan artists, including contemporary artist, Pekar, are featured at the Smithsonian Folklife
Festival
2003 Gonkar Gyatso opens "The Sweet Tea House Contemporary Tibetan Art Gallery" in London,
England, featuring exhibitions from artists working both inside and outside Tibet
2004 Artists from the Gedun Choephel Artists Guild, a cooperative of contemporary Tibetan artists
working in Lhasa, Tibet, exhibit for the first time in America in New Jersey and Santa Fe;
Mechak Center for Contemporary Tibetan Art is founded by Losang Gyatso in Boulder, Colorado
2005 The first ever group exhibition of contemporary Tibetan artists working in exile, titled "Old Soul,
New Art," opens at Tibet House in New York City