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Mystery of Life

June 7 – 21, 2022

Here Now Space

Rabkar Wangchuk, solo show

Michela Martello, guest artist

Curated by Paola Vanzo

RABKAR WANGCHUK in his studio working on Spirit Connection, pigment on Korean linen, 30 x 30 inches, 2020. Photo by Paola Vanzo.

By Hannah Reimann

The work of Korean Nam June Paik, Chinese Ai Weiwei and Japanese Yayoi Kusama emerged and broke ground over decades, both commercially and as trends. These days, contemporary Asian painting, sculpture and installations are more visible and appreciated, easily identified in galleries, museums, open spaces and periodicals. Asian art was once associated with antique scrolls and dainty jade snuff bottles, object d’art etc., due to their beautiful design, references to Buddhism, Hinduism and other spiritual traditions, and has come a long way. Recent sales of Ai Weiwei sculptures sell easily for six figures and sometimes millions. 

Contemporary Tibetan artists are not far behind in being acknowledged, deserving the adequate exposure received by the better-known Asian countries. Stereotypical works of Tibetan art are prayer flags, Thangka and wood painting, new or old, amulets for enthusiasts of Asian philosophy and spiritual teachings. There is so much more to offer from Tibet these days– vivid pieces by living artists with fresh media and subject matter that opens the views of what and who an artist is in this under-represented category.

Fortunately, this June we have the opportunity to experience the works of Tibetan artist, Rabkar Wangchuk, right in our neighborhood at Here Now Space on Perry Street. 

Wangchuk’s debut solo show in the USA features colorful, pop-art acrylic paintings, mineral pigment on silk, and 3D installations, complemented by the sculptures of guest artist Michela Martello, an Italian living in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn who is greatly influenced by Tibetan art and Buddhism. One work in the exhibit is a collaborative installation by both artists.

Born in India in 1964 from refugee parents, Wangchuk entered Gyudmed Tantric Monastery in South India when he was 7 and trained in the traditional Tibetan arts of thangka paintings, woodwork, butter sculpture and sand mandala for more than 20 years under the master artist Ngawang Norbu. At the age of 29, in 1993, left the monastic life and joined the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, as Director of Visual Arts.  In 2006 he decided he wanted more from life and moved to America, first to Texas and then to Queens, New York. He struggled for years to make ends meet with various part-time jobs but never gave up his art, channeling all of his emotions on canvas. To support his painting he also worked as an Über driver part-time and when the pandemic put his job as a driver on hold, he focused on creating all the work you will see in this exhibition. 

All of Wangchuk’s work has the common element of his journey as a young-monk-turned-artist going through life, an autobiographical visual story with references to a multitude of his life experiences. There is a surreal quality to the paintings, largely influenced by Salvatore Dalì, traditional Chinese landscape and portrait painting, sometimes incorporating the movie and music characters that he is passionate about. His expert draftsmanship, pop style, appreciation of western culture and sense of humor are his trademarks. Expressed through his monk’s eyes, the work is thought-provoking, at once meditative, playful and curiously original.

On Wangchuk’s Instagram page, one can see a touching self-portrait with his mother, two images on one canvas mirroring each other, mandala-like, of her cradling him when he was an infant and him cradling her soon before she died. The show’s curator, Paola Vanzo, who is a close friend of the artist, explained to me that Wangchuk’s strongest connection was with his mother. Everything he achieved was due to the fact that she allowed him to do the things he loved and aspired towards – becoming a monk, painting, and making sculpture. No matter where he was in the world, he maintained his connection with her. She passed away during the pandemic in South India, although not from COVID-19, and he flew back to be with her for her last breaths. This show is dedicated to her. 

Curator Paola Vanzo has a rich and unusual connection to Tibet where she lived for 8 years. After studying Mandarin Chinese language and Asian art at the University of Venice in 1988, she moved to Beijing and lived there for nine years. She was a student at The People’s  University of China and worked for the British Council for a few years, however, she soon discovered that her heart was in Tibet and she moved to Lhasa in 1999 to work. No one knew anything about contemporary Tibetan art at that time and she made it her calling to bring it to the West. Working for a nonprofit foundation, she assisted four Tibetan artists in their 20’s to live in New York City for four months. As a result, they were selected to be artists-in-residence in Snug Harbor, Long Island as well as The Henry Street Settlement. They experienced the art world in NYC, saw Brooklyn artists living in a way they’d like to in Lhasa, and eventually Vanzo returned to Tibet with them and they opened the first Tibetan artists’ guild – the Gedun Choepel Artists Guild.  Vanzo then helped them open their first gallery in Lhasa where they could meet collectors, museum curators and develop an identity for contemporary Tibetan art. 

THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY, pigment on canvas board, 18 x 22 inches, 2021.

Featured in the same space, Michela Martello’s sculpture, presents a series of eight vases inspired by Tibetan Buddhist culture. Made with clay, ceramic, glaze and luster, Martello integrates all of the five natural elements of water, fire, earth and wood, making this a sort of slow meditative process. The first vase of the series is dedicated to the eight auspicious symbols. The other seven contain Buddhist figurative elements or other symbolism attached to a particular Dharma practice  One vase is dedicated to dakini – the energetic beings in female form, evocative of the movement of energy in space while another one  was created to honor of the Water Tiger, the 2022 spirit animal.  

To write this article, I had one of the most inspiring conversations I’ve ever had with a curator, someone who has helped create history and continues to nurture art and artists from the ground up. As we all emerge from our pandemic cocoons and visit more museums and art spaces, I urge people of all backgrounds to visit this unusual exhibit, to purchase Rabkar Wangchuk’s work, and to meet him and Paola Vanzo. It’s just a few blocks away from you to experience this light-filled, uplifting and tranquil space, reception, artists’ talk and evening of meditation. If you have children, bring them along – the work is very kid-friendly.

The exhibition included 32 canvas paintings plus sketches, watercolors, installations and sculptures.

Here Now Space 

132  Perry Street Suite 2B between Greenwich and Washington Streets

Opening June 7 at 6:30 pm

Artists Talk June 11th at 6.30 pm

CEO of Wisdom publications, Daniel Aitken, will be the moderator for the talk

Evening of meditation under the art TBC

Closing night party on June 21 6:30

Seating for 70 people 

Please register at info@herenowspace.com

 

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