Art for Tibet III

ART FOR TIBET is an annual charity auction held in New York City that showcases work from a diverse international pool of established and emerging artists, including a growing number of outstanding contemporary Tibetan artists. For many Tibetan artists this show is a rare and vital opportunity to express their artistic voices and exhibit their work without risk of imprisonment.

Hosted at the Joshua Liner Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, the show will feature more than 50 contemporary Tibetan and international artists, including Shepard Fairey, Pema Rinzin, Richard Gere, Ryan McGinness, Tenzing Rigdol, David Ellis, Gonkar Gyatso, Swoon and many more.

All artwork in the show will be sold via a silent auction on the evening of October 14. The evening event will feature a live-painting demonstration, DJ sets by Spirit Bear, and a silent auction that will offer excellent works with low opening bids. Drinks will be generously provided by Beerlao. Pre-bidding will be available online at www.artfortibet.com beginning October 7.

This event is made possible by the support of Honorary Committee members Sheprard Fairey, Richard Gere and Professor Robert A.F. Thurman, as well as Curatorial Committee members Simeon Lipman, Joshua Liner, Daniel Subkoff, Pema Rinzin, Tenzing Rigdol, Andrew Lockhart, Bruno Levy, Joseph Ian Henrikson, John Peet, Lisa Shimamura, Kurt Langer and Zahra Sherzad.

Auction and event information and a full list of participating artists are available at www.artfortibet.com. All proceeds from the event will benefit Students for a Free Tibet (SFT).

Read SFT’s Press Release here

A Rare Video of Devotion & Protest Surfaces from Tibet.

This powerful video recently received from Tibet shows a dramatic scene from early 2006 in Machu County in Amdo, eastern Tibet. Thousands of Tibetans, mostly nomads can be seen making religious offerings for the protection of wildlife, praying for the Dalai Lama’s long life, and jubilantly discarding animal pelts into a massive bonfire while screaming “Long live the Dalai Lama” and “Victory to Tibet!”

The burning of animal fur, some of which had the monetary value equivalent to a car, was carried out in response to a statement by the Dalai Lama in which he said he felt “ashamed” when he saw Tibetans wearing the pelts of endangered animals such as tigers or leopards.

Within days of the Dalai Lama’s appeal, tens of thousands of Tibetans from across Tibet held massive gatherings where animal skin hats, shirts and Chubas were thrown into large bonfires.

For background information on the 2006 fur burning campaign and analysis on how wearing exotic pelts is not part of traditional Tibetan culture, read “Burning the animal skin, revolution sparked in Tibet.”

Since 2006, Tibetans in Tibet have consistently shunned the practice of wearing clothing decorated with furs. In many cases Tibetans are ordered to wear expensive furs during traditional festivals to provide tourists with an image of Tibetan culture that conforms to Chinese stereotypes. In a dramatic assertion of Tibetan identity, this state sponsored re-invention of Tibetan culture has been rejected by Tibetans.

Many Tibetans across Tibet are engaging in a self-reliance movement by taking concrete, sustainable actions as part of Tibet’s Lhakar or “White Wednesday” movement.

For more on Tibet’s Lhakar movement, go to:http://lhakar.org