Compassion Transformed
January 27 – February 26, 2011
Opening reception: Thursday, January 27, 6–9 PM
New York,NY December 22,2010 -- Joshua Liner Gallery is pleased to present Compassion Transformed,an exhibition of new paintings by the New York-based Tibetan artist Pema Rinzin. Making his solo debut in New York,this is Rinzin’s first one-man exhibition at Joshua Liner Gallery.
A master in the art of Thangka painting,Pema Rinzin has adapted the techniques and mystical motifs of this centuries-old Buddhist tradition to create spellbinding abstract works of contemporary art.Originally used in scrolls that depict the life of the Buddha,other deities,and religious figures,traditional Thangka featured the use of ground mineral pigments and gold applied to paper or silk cloth,as well as works in embroidery.Thangkas were objects of meditation,stimulation and religious education.The imagery is characterized by great intricacy in decorative pattern and brilliant color,which serve to advance the spiritual objectives of enlightenment and transcendence,while also conveying the artistic vision of individual master painters through unique expressions of style and composition.
In his stunning abstractions,Rinzin demonstrates how the individual artist can place his own stamp on a traditional form—he both transforms and transcends classical Thangka,while preserving its ancient artmaking techniques.His Peace and Energy series includes four large works on canvas that present a compelling image for contemplation:in each,a dynamic embolus of layered “handkerchief”forms hums at the center of each picture against a traditional monochromatic background of bright orange,purple,white,or yellow.The fluttering,interlocking forms are thoroughly contemporary,but each carries a unique pattern derived from the ancient Buddhist traditions,and the whole is shot through with pulsing striped flames of blue,white,black,and gold.
