Rubin Himalayan Fellowship Winners
Rubin Himalayan Fellowship Winners
2008 Rubin Residencies for Himalayan Artists
Sponsored by The Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation
Notable mid-career visual artists from Himalayan region countries who engage in or respond to traditional Himalayan art forms are selected for a two-month residency at the Vermont Studio Center. A jury chooses two winners and an honorable mention. Residencies include private studio space, food, housing, round-trip air travel and allowances for art materials and shipping, as well as a stipend and an optional trip to New York City.
Winners
Tenzin Nurbu Lama was born in Bantsang, a village in Dolpo, a remote district situated in the snowy landscape of western Nepal. The village lies at 4,500 meters and is known for its harsh climate. Dolpo is enveloped by snow for eight months of the year and its dramatic mountain landscapes are what he tries to capture in his art. "For inspiration, I draw on my family, historical books, legends and memories of Dolpo including visions and dreams. I strive to give each painting movement and expression. While the painting is still, within it I try to capture movement and give life to the figures. Also, I integrate the culture and tradition of Dolpo into my paintings. Even the smallest details such as body postures and clothing reflect pieces of my culture and my home."
Tenzing Rigdol was born in Kathmandu, Nepal in 1982 and studied in Nepal and India until 1999 and the University of Colorado at Denver and graduated in 2005 with degrees in Painting, Drawing and Art history. He returned to Nepal in 2001 to study Tibetan Sand Painting, Butter Sculpture and Buddhist philosophy at the Shakar Choten Monastery and received a diploma in Tibetan Traditional Painting from Tibet Thangkha Art School where he studied under the guidance of 9th generation Tibetan Thangkha painters whose ancestors’ mural paintings are still preserved inside the Potala Palace. Tenzing’s paintings both engage in and respond to the traditional Tibetan forms and are concerned with human conflict as expressed through the political struggle between Tibet and China. He writes, “The issue of Tibet puts the world to a unique test on ethics; it is a test of our time on whether the nonviolent path is still a revered mode of practice on achieving a peaceful resolution.” Tenzing’s work is also influenced by the philosophies of Buddha, Krishna, Christ, Chuang Tsu, Lao Tsu, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Derrida and Foucault. He’s exhibited extensively throughout the United States. Due to the political instability caused by the Communist China, he and his family members received political asylum in March of 2002 in United States. Currently he lives with his family in New York.
Honorable Mention
Jampa Nyandak, painting. Nyandak, who lives in India, is trained in Buddhist studies and traditional drawing and thangka painting.
