|
NEWS SERVICES |
NEWS
| For immediate use |
Jan. 31, 2003 -- No. 62 |
Photo Note: See end of story for photo availability.
Nepali artist, in residence at the Ackland, to demonstrate Buddhist tangka painting
CHAPEL HILL -- The ancient Buddhist art of tangka painting will be demonstrated next month at the Ackland Art Museum, which has acquired one of the sacred and brilliantly colored paintings for its very own.
Nepali artist Deepak Joshi, commissioned by the Ackland in August 2000 to create its new tangka, will be in residence Feb. 19-26 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill museum. With his finished work for the museum already on display, Joshi will use other pieces in various stages of completion to demonstrate his intricate techniques.
He also will discuss the powerful symbolism in his painting. Buddhists meditate on tangkas, which are images painted on scrolls, in their search for enlightenment.
Joshi's demonstrations will be from noon to 2 p.m. Feb. 19-21 and Feb. 26, as well as 1-4:30 p.m. Feb. 22 and 23. Joshi also will give gallery talks at 3 p.m. Feb. 23 and 12:15 p.m. Feb. 26. The events will be free and open to the public.
"People always like to see artists working, and it's so rare that they have the opportunity to do so," said Ackland Curator Barbara Matilsky. "Joshi practices Tantric Buddhism, and part of the practice is in the making of the art."
People anxious to see the Ackland's tangka should visit before March 2, when it will be taken off display for a time. "We'll have to rotate it, because it's fragile and can't be exposed to light for too long," Matilsky said.
March 2 will mark the end of the Ackland's two-year exhibition "Buddhist
Art and Ritual from Nepal and Tibet," which opened in 2001 with the
residency of two Buddhist monks constructing a 5-and-a-half foot sand mandala in
the Ackland’s galleries.
Joshi, who lives in Kathmandu, worked for two years on the Ackland's new tangka.
The work, 5 feet tall by 3.5 feet wide, is painted on linen, which is mounted on
silk. The image is bordered on all sides by successive bands of yellow, red and
blue.
Joshi adheres to the traditional practice of grinding his own pigments from minerals and then mixing them with animal glue. Before applying colors, he draws every inch of the composition in elaborate detail, marking with graphite on the linen material.
The Ackland's tangka depicts a mandala dedicated to the deities Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi, who appear intertwined in an image in the center of the painting.
"Symbolizing the union of male and female cosmic energy and the dissolution of opposites, the deities function to focus the devotee's powers of visualization on attaining enlightenment," Matilsky said. "On another level, the figures of Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi represent the enlightened mind, where wisdom and compassion merge to replace the self-centered ego."
Joshi's fascination with western landscape painting led him to personalize his tangka by setting it in the Kathmandu Valley and Himalayan Mountains. He edges and outlines his work with gold leaf and silver, Matilsky said.
"We have magnifying glasses so that you can see all the details," she said. "The tangka is very rich with animals and landscapes. You can spend a long time looking at this and yet still not see all the details and effects."
The Ackland is on South Columbia Street near Franklin Street. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 1-5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free. For more information, call 919-966-5736 (museum office) or 919-962-0837 (TTY), or visit the Web site at www.ackland.org.
-30-
Contact: Andy Berner, 919-966-5736 or berner@email.unc.edu
Photo Note: To download a photo of Joshi and an image of the Ackland's tangka, visit the following urls:
