Eight years ago, ten artists came together to undertake an experiment. In a former Sichuanese restaurant along Lhasa’s Barkhor they created the Gendün Chöpel Artists’ Guild and Gallery, and changed what it meant to be an artist in Tibet forever. In the years since its opening, the Gendün Chöpel Artist’s Guild has grown from the initial group of ten to more than 25 artists living and working in Lhasa. The guild’s members have exhibited their work at shows in galleries and museums across China and around the world, including, most recently, “The Scorching Sun of Tibet” at the Songzhang Art Museum in Beijing, and “Tradition Transformed: Tibetan Artists Respond” at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York.
On Friday, January 14th, two of the members the Gendün Chöpel Artist’s Guild, Tsering Nyandak and Nortse, discuss about the contemporary Lhasa art scene with Tenzing Rigdol, a Tibetan artist living in New York.
WHEN: Friday, January 14th 2011 (6pm to 8pm)
WHERE: Latse library Reading Room
ADDRESS: 132 Perry St., Suite 2B, New York, NY 10014, Tel.: +1-212-367-8490
DIRECTION: http://www.latse.org/directions.html
Tsering Nyandak
Tsering Nyandak (b. 1974, Lhasa) is a founding member of the Gendün Chöpel Artists’ Guild in Lhasa. Beginning in 1999, Nyandak studied art under Tsewang Tashi, another member of the guild and a lecturer in the fine arts department at Tibet University. His most recent works include bright, symbolically charged portraits of women and young children against barren landscapes.
Nortse
Nortse (b. 1963) joined the Gendün Chöpel Artist’s Guild in 2005. From the early 80s to the early 90s he studied art at academies across China, including Tibet University and the Central Arts Academy in Beijing. His work spans a wide variety of media, including photography, textiles, and oil painting. His recent works include a series of self-portraits that explore diverse themes, including global warming, overpopulation, and identity.
