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BOUNDLESS: Contemporary Tibetan Artists at Home & Abroad

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Fig. 2:
The White Proposal
Tenzing Rigdol
c. 2014
Mixed media on canvas

On loan from the Tsherin Sherpa private collection

Artist, poet, and activist Tenzing Rigdol uses the silhouette of the Buddha to encourage a deeper consideration of contemporary Tibetan issues such as displacement, immigration, self-immolation, and preservation of cultural heritage. In both this and his other large work in this exhibition, Rigdol used silk applique and collage to convey the complexity of contemporary Tibetan communities. Prayers written on the canvas in Tibetan reference the artist's paternal family, who once manufactured ink for printing scriptures. The Chinese text is a white-paper proposal for self-governance, prepared by the Tibetan Government in Exile for consideration by the Chinese government.