The Continuum of Contemporary Tibetan Art

Contemporary Tibetan art is often viewed in terms of rupture: a radical break from traditional Buddhist art or the divide between artists working in Tibet itself and those in the vast Tibetan diaspora. This lecture considers the opposite perspective and focuses on continuities connecting contemporary Tibetan artists with those of the past and connecting artists working within and outside of Tibet. We’ll explore these connections through contemporary Tibetan art about landscape, architecture, and the human body.   

Benjamin Bogin is an associate professor of Asian studies at Skidmore College, specializing in Himalayan Buddhism. He received his MA and PhD from the University of Michigan. Bogin writes and teaches on the intersections of biographical literature, sacred geography, and visual art in Himalayan cultures. He’s the co-editor of Forms of Awakening: Tibetan Art: From the Jack Shear Collection and Himalayan Passages: Tibetan and Newar Studies in Honor of Hubert Decleer. Bogin is also the author of The Illuminated Life of the Great Yolmowa.

Tickets will be available July 1.