APT6 | Gonkar Gyatso (Tibet/UK) | (Part 2 of 2) | Artist Talk | 06.12.2009

EXHIBITION WEBSITE | http://www.qag.qld.gov.au/apt6

Gonkar Gyatsos youth coincided with the period of the Cultural Revolution when much art and culture was destroyed, and traditional Tibetan art forms ― most of which were tied to religion ― were forbidden. While studying Chinese calligraphy in Beijing, Gyatso became aware of the distinctiveness of his heritage and after graduating, moved to Dharamsala, India, where he studied traditional Tibetan thangka (scroll painting), before moving to London. Gyatso founded the Sweet Tea House in 1985, which became the first Tibetan avant-garde artists association. Since his move to London, his works have aimed to map the shifts in identity and belonging caused by continual migration. His current practice combines traditional calligraphy and the iconography of Buddhist thangka with collages of colourful stickers, cut-out text and mass-media imagery, subverting typecast notions of Tibetan culture and considering the popularisation of Buddhism in the West. APT6 will feature collages as well as a new nine-metre work on paper, commissioned for the exhibition. Experience the buzz of the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT6) opening weekend at the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) and Queensland Art Gallery (QAG), Brisbane, Queensland, in December 2009 two days of artist talks, discussions, in-conversations and artist performances.

Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT6), 5 December 2009 - 5 April 2010, Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), Brisbane, Australia

Category:

Education

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• Gonkar
• Gyatso
• APT6
• Artist
• Talk