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Tsherin Sherpa ( Ang Tsherin Sherpa )
Tibetan Contemporary Artist
"The group of works which form Golden Child/Black Clouds continues my exploration of our perception of the sacred and mundane in everyday life. Originally, the focus of a previous series, Tibetan Spirit, showed figures that were half human/half deity enjoying the playful discovery of all the beauty and trappings of the modern world. While such hybrid Tibetan Spirits are still witnessing all that is unfolding, in these new works a human child is now placed in the foreground as if he or she should be contemplated like a deity. It is an attempt to look at world events through the eyes of these metaphorical images of Tibetan children.
The inspiration for this series came about during my recent trip to Dharamsala when I began to wonder about the Tibetan children who had come there from various parts of Tibet. Shortly after my travels, I saw the documentary “Olo, The Boy from Tibet” about a child's daily life within the Tibetan Children's Village in Dharamsala. In the film, Olo's uncle explains to his nephew that he must study very hard because he's the first generation to have such an opportunity. The rest of his family either ended up in jail or dead. Not only do these children find themselves adapting to a new culture and environment, there is a lot of responsibility placed upon them as if they were the only hope for the future.
For myself, I became aware of new opportunities and responsibilities after becoming an American citizen. In the past, travelling abroad would cause me anxiety due to the uncertainty that my visa might not be approved because of my Nepalese citizenship, now, as an American, I can just hop on the next plane to visit my gallery in London without having any worries. This mental change has opened my eyes to the mobility and trappings of borders in a globally aware society and how that affects our sense of identity and self-worth. This insight translates not only a desire to express what is going on in my community in the United States but also in communities around the world.
Working in my studio, I generally have National Public Radio playing in the background, which stems from my years as a thangka apprentice in my father's studio when monks would often come over from nearby monasteries to discuss and debate, and the background chatter would infiltrate my consciousness on some level. Nowadays, hearing snippets of the world's events, they also become incorporated into my paintings in the form of silhouettes. These events may inspire and frighten us though we may never encounter them in person. On some level they may be abstract but they still become part of our story by how they affect our perception.
Today's children are witnessing the same things as adults: global warming, terrorism, poverty, overcrowding, and suicide. As technology becomes ubiquitous, we can experience the events of the world as if at first-hand through vivid onsite iPhone recordings uploaded to YouTube within minutes of their occurring. What will this instant information do to a child's forming psyche when they should be playing outdoors, carefree? These sights could also become the cause for future artists, activists, mothers and politicians to make a change in the world. Yet I fear that the world's chaos could lead also to a cycle of depression and desperate acts. The black clouds loom but the child glows.
In addition to the gold leaf that I've been using in previous series, I've begun experimenting with cheap materials such as glitter and alcohol based inks. These items are traditionally used in crafts done by children. By placing expensive and cheap materials next to each other I am attempting to blur the boundary between what is precious and what is mundane. I hope we question why we see certain objects as valuable whilst others are deemed worthless and disposable."
The inspiration for this series came about during my recent trip to Dharamsala when I began to wonder about the Tibetan children who had come there from various parts of Tibet. Shortly after my travels, I saw the documentary “Olo, The Boy from Tibet” about a child's daily life within the Tibetan Children's Village in Dharamsala. In the film, Olo's uncle explains to his nephew that he must study very hard because he's the first generation to have such an opportunity. The rest of his family either ended up in jail or dead. Not only do these children find themselves adapting to a new culture and environment, there is a lot of responsibility placed upon them as if they were the only hope for the future.
For myself, I became aware of new opportunities and responsibilities after becoming an American citizen. In the past, travelling abroad would cause me anxiety due to the uncertainty that my visa might not be approved because of my Nepalese citizenship, now, as an American, I can just hop on the next plane to visit my gallery in London without having any worries. This mental change has opened my eyes to the mobility and trappings of borders in a globally aware society and how that affects our sense of identity and self-worth. This insight translates not only a desire to express what is going on in my community in the United States but also in communities around the world.
Working in my studio, I generally have National Public Radio playing in the background, which stems from my years as a thangka apprentice in my father's studio when monks would often come over from nearby monasteries to discuss and debate, and the background chatter would infiltrate my consciousness on some level. Nowadays, hearing snippets of the world's events, they also become incorporated into my paintings in the form of silhouettes. These events may inspire and frighten us though we may never encounter them in person. On some level they may be abstract but they still become part of our story by how they affect our perception.
Today's children are witnessing the same things as adults: global warming, terrorism, poverty, overcrowding, and suicide. As technology becomes ubiquitous, we can experience the events of the world as if at first-hand through vivid onsite iPhone recordings uploaded to YouTube within minutes of their occurring. What will this instant information do to a child's forming psyche when they should be playing outdoors, carefree? These sights could also become the cause for future artists, activists, mothers and politicians to make a change in the world. Yet I fear that the world's chaos could lead also to a cycle of depression and desperate acts. The black clouds loom but the child glows.
In addition to the gold leaf that I've been using in previous series, I've begun experimenting with cheap materials such as glitter and alcohol based inks. These items are traditionally used in crafts done by children. By placing expensive and cheap materials next to each other I am attempting to blur the boundary between what is precious and what is mundane. I hope we question why we see certain objects as valuable whilst others are deemed worthless and disposable."
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Born in 1968, lives and works in California, USA
Education:
1991-1996
Buddhist Philosophy under the tutelage of various Buddhist Masters, Nepal
1988-1989
Computer Science and Mandarin, Taipei, Taiwan
1983-1988
Traditional Tibetan Painting apprenticeship with Master Urgen Dorje Sherpa (father)
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