The traveling
thangka artist
Tsherin Sherpa immigrated to California, where he taught traditional thangka painting at various Buddhist Centers until he began to explore his own style. During this time he reimagined tantric motifs, symbols, colors and gestures placed in resolutely contemporary compositions.
He also borrows imagery from classical Tibetan Buddhist iconography to abstract, fragment and reconstruct the traditional image to investigate and explore his personal diasporic experiences and the dichotomy found where sacred and secular culture collide. By employing mass culture’s ubiquitous noise, Tsherin Sherpa imports these representations into a heightened dialogue where Buddhist icons and global affairs can be renegotiated into a mirror-like transmutation.