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Gedun Choephel Artists' Guild

No. 3 Barkhor Northeast Corner
Lhasa
Tibet TAR, PR China
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Usually groups are fomed through someone's initiative. However, this particular Gedun Choephel Artists' Guild came together naturally through shared experiences and common interests. We were all born in the turbulent 1960s and 70s. We lived through the rationing period of Chairman Mao, and remember his passing away. We also have experienced the radical modernizing changes brought about by Deng Xiao Ping throughout China.

Like other young people, we like to keep up with the time and trends, but we also respect and value the traditional aspects of our unique cultural aspects of our unique cultural heritage.

Some of us were born here in Tibet, and some have come from other places. However, we always stick to drawing out originality and inspiration from the new multifaceted Tibet, which is far beyond the image of many outsiders, thus, with our shared ideas and vision, we have formed this Gedun Choephel Artists' Guild in 2003, the very year of the centenary birth anniversary of 20th century Tibet's great leading intellectual and artist, Gedun Choephel, an inspiration whose spirit is living in us to this day.

We do not wish to simply make a living from our art, but wish to contribute to the development of contemporary art. We want to faithfully show our innermost thoughts and feelings through art by whatever medium we choose to use.

- From Gedun Choephel Artists' Guild brochure, Lhasa


Modern art in Tibet never seems to relate to the modern art movement in the outside world, seldom even participating in any contemporary art program in mainland China. So few people know the modern art of Tibet. It is like a strange creature, itself grown and developing without preparation, but it has just happened as a mingling of the red and blue neon lights of the nightclubs and the butter lamps and the Potala palace with the plastic evergreen coconut trees at its foot.

Modern art in Tibet has grown in such a fantastic ecosystem and environment. It's like an underage person without preparation and experience facing a life-and-death crisis, at the same time facing the bars and fetters of his own ancient culture, and the stereotypes of the outsider, hampered by a lack of the information and communication with the external world. The development of Tibetan modern art is difficult from the very beginning, but it is good from another point of view, because artists can closely examine themselves and hold their own interest in an age of information explosion.

Perhaps what the artists thinking about modern art in Tibet is just in their imagination - or maybe there is no modern art in Tibet. But what is important is that artists are recording the transmigration of a civilization and a disappearing myth.

Gade, member,
Gendun Choephel Artists' Guild
November 30, 2003






The artists of the Gedun Choephel Artists' Guild are represented
in Nepal, by Lotus Gallery
J.P. Road, Thamel, Kathmandu
email: info@lotusgallerynepal.com
tel: +00977-1-4253646
www.lotusgallerynepal.com

in the United States, by Peaceful Wind
129 W. San Francisco Street
Santa Fe
N.M. 87501, U.S.A.
email: asianart@peacefulwind.com
tel: (505) 983 7658
www.asianart.com/pw


Asianart.com | Galleries | Gedun Choephel Artists' Guild Main Gallery | Contact Gedun Choephel Artists' Guild
Subscribe to Gedun Choephel Artists' Guild