TashiGyamstoandChoejor,twoofthemost-accomplishedTibetanthangkaartistsfromtheregion,establishedNagarjunaArtSchoolinRebgongin2013.TheschoolaimstoexploreinnovativeeducationalapproacheswhilepreservinganddevelopingtheTibetanthangkatraditionwithinandbeyondTibetancommunities.
TashiGyamstoandChoejorwereborninthelate1960s.IntheearlyphasesoftheircareerasTibetanthangkaartists,theyfollowedtheirteacher,JigmedChuzung,anhonoredartistofthe9thPanchenLama,ontripstoPotalaPalace,JokhangTemple,Ta鈥檈rMonastery,LabrangMonastery,andWutaiMountaintopaintandrestoremurals.Overthepastthirtyyears,theyhavetrainedover250Tibetanthangkaartists.Lastyear,theywerehonoredas鈥淣ationalCraftsmenandArtists鈥漛ytheChinesegovernment.In2010,TashiGyamstoandChoejorvowedtobuildaprivatethangkaartschool.Theyliquidatedtheirpaintingcollectionsandusedthemoneytoconstructtheschool.Whiletheyaremakinggreateffortstopreservethetraditionalteachingmethodsofthangkaart,theyarealsoattemptingtomovepastsomeoutdatedcustomsbyrecruitingfemalesandnon-Tibetanstudents鈥損eoplewhowerehistoricallyprohibitedfromlearningthangkaart.TheyalsointendtoincorporatetheskillsoftraditionalChinesebrushpaintingintothangkaart.
Theexhibitionwasdividedintofoursections:鈥淩oots鈥漝emonstratesthehistoryofRebgongthangkaart,鈥淚nheritance鈥漮utlinestheprocessofcreatingathangkaandilluminatesrealscenesinartstudioofRebgong,鈥淐ollection鈥漝isplaysancientthangkapaintings,Buddhistscripts,andarttoolscollectedbyTashiGyamstoandChoejorovertheyears,and鈥淭ranscendence鈥漵howsrecentworkbystudentsofTashiGyamstoandChoejor.
鈥淯nlikeotherthangkaartshows,thisexhibitionblendsethnologicalandanthropologicalpointsofview,aimingatpinpointingtheoriginalecologyofRebgongartandencouragingin-depthdiscussionofRebgongthangkaart,鈥漞xplainscuratorMingXue,apostdoctoralresearcherattheAmericanMuseumofNaturalHistory.
Forinstance,inthehallwayisa20-meter-longinstallationtitledTime-linethattracesthelifestoriesofTashiGyamstoandChoejoraswellassignificanthistoricaleventsinfluencingRebgongart.TheinstallationpresentsavisualeffectwithstrongTibetanflavor.TheexhibitionhallisscreeningthedocumentaryNagarjunaArtSchool(2016,23min),producedbyMingXuejustbeforetheschoolopened.OrganizersalsoinvitedotherthangkaartistsfromRebgongtoshowhowtheydrawtheirworkon-the-spot.Spectatorslearnedhowthangkasarepaintedandposedquestionsfortheartists.
TheexhibitionintheBaimamedoArtCenterinBeijing鈥檚798ArtZonerunsuntilAugust10,2016.
Athangkapainting.
Thangkaarthasbecomemorepopularwithyoungpeople.