Paintings by Tiffani Gyatso
June 14 to August 1, 2012
OPENING RECEPTION: THURSDAY, JUNE 14; 6:00 – 8:00PM
Mystic Nostalgia reflects an internal process of the search for explanations of what we yearn to know but cannot name – the holes in open spaces and claustrophobic places – the longing for something that can not be known and is related to the mystic. This series of paintings reflects visions by artist Tiffani Gyatso that have come in relation to her own spiritual search guided by Buddhist principles through the obscurities of samsara. Within this journey, the Himalayas are perceived as a dream-like place, through the eyes of exiled natives who keep it beautiful in their memoires or those who create its image in a poetic way. The outer landscape is subsumed by the inner landscape of the mind. A Mongol princess sits in the woods alone. Everything around her is red and throbbing, but nothing happens. She hopes. A figure emerging from a rich tapestry of patterns holds a heart that reveals its indestructible and pure nature amidst the realms of suffering and pain. In this series, the spiritual journey and its pilgrimages through the inner places of love, heartbreak, fortitude, and trust are depicted in a way that allows the imagination to rest in the universal and ineffable realms of mystical beauty and imagination.
Tiffani Gyatso is a Brazilian artist who developed her diverse painting techniques in unconventional ways. Her teachers were “free souls” who crossed her path and transmitted their artistry and skills. She was accepted as the first foreigner to study tangka painting at the Norbulingka Institute, founded by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After this time, she was invited to coordinate and paint a large Buddhist temple in Brazil. Alongside traditional Tibetan works, she creates contemporary paintings influenced by traditional Tibetan art and inspired by people’s own inner “gods and demons”.
