Thursday, August 28, 2008
Gonkar Gyatso left his home country for the freedom to pursue his art.
Born in Tibet, Gyatso includes political themes in his artwork that wouldn’t sit well with the Chinese government.
That mixture of politics and art will be the focus of a talk Gyatso will give tonight at the Spencer Museum of Art.
Kris Ercums, curator of Asian Art at the museum, said Gyastso, who moved to England in the early 90s, blends images and icons of traditional Buddhism with references to popular culture.
Many of Gyatso’s current pieces feature the silhouette of a Buddha created from small stickers of familiar figures and characters such as Spiderman.
“It’s colorful and fun and immediately recognizable,” Ercums said. “But under the surface of it are all of these issues that it brings out.”
Some of the Buddha silhouettes feature images such as the hammer and sickle, the symbol of the Communist Party. Ercums said much of Gyatso’s work had political undertones.
One example of a political theme in Gyatso’s work is “Puzzle Buddha.” The piece is an outline of a Buddha covered by a blank crossword puzzle. The clues for the puzzle are written in Chinese and related to political controversies and problems in Tibet.
“This is work that could not be done in China or Tibet because it’s so political,” Ercums said.
Gyatso also completed a series of four self-portrait photographs titled “My Identity.” In each photo Gyatso represents a different Tibetan identity: a traditional Tibetan, a Chinese Tibetan, a Tibetan in exile and a wealthy Tibetan in London.
“He really understands a lot of different perspectives,” Ercums said.
Bill Woodard, director of communications at the museum, said the visit would bring a greater awareness about the situation in Tibet to the Lawrence community.
“We’re providing a forum for a, perhaps, disenfranchised voice,” Woodard said.
Leslie Vonholten, program assistant with the Center for East Asian Studies, helped plan the visit and said Gyatso’s lecture would give students the opportunity to hear a personal story from Tibet.
“It’s certainly an experience much different than a lot of people in Kansas have endured,” Vonholten said.
Ercums said it would also provide students with an opportunity to discuss the events in Tibet and gain a broader understanding of a different culture. He said Marsha Haufler, acting director of the Center for East Asian Studies, contacted him about finding an artist to speak on campus.
Ercums said the museum first considered looking for an artist from China because the visit was planned to coincide with the Olympics. The museum decided to go with a Tibetan artist after the controversy surrounding Tibet and China and the riots in Lhasa last March.
“I hope that it really helps students to begin to think about themselves in relationship to the world at large,” Ercums said.
In addition to the lecture, Gyatso will be present for a meet and greet with interested students and faculty on Aug. 29 at the museum. He will also participate in a facilitated discussion at the Kansas City Art Institute H&R Block Artspace on Aug. 30.
All of the events are free and open to the public.
— — Edited by Jennifer Torline
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