Widely considered the father of cotemporary Tibetan art, Gonkar Gyatso was one of a number of young Tibetans seeking new vehicles for creative expression and co-founded the Sweet Tea House artists’ collective in Lhasa in in 1984. Later he left Tibet first for the exile community in Dharamsala and then to pursue further studies in the UK.
Throughout his career, Gonkar has produced mixed media works that disrupt traditional Tibetan art, referencing conceptual frameworks ranging from Kandinsky to Cubism as well as drawing on Buddhist symbols. Controversial to some, Gonkar’s works emphasize questions of identity performance, displacement and exile, and the commodification of Tibetan Buddhism.
Buddha in the Bathroom: Appropriation and Pop Culture in Contemporary Tibetan Art
Public Lecture at CU Boulder by Gonkar Gyatso
Tuesday, April 5 | Hale 270 at CU Boulder
Reception:Â 6:00 pm, Lecture: 6:30 pm
Art Installation by Gonkar Gyatso
at Boulder Creative Collective Warehouse
Sunday, April 10 | 2500 47th St at Pearl, Unit #10
Reception and Unveiling at 2:00 pm to 5pm (come Friday for 2-5pm to view installation in progress)
Photo courtesy of the artist.