GONKAR GYATSO

Gonkar Gyatso was born in Tibet in 1961, and as a young man was trained in the
traditional Tibetan art form of “Thangka”- that is, a type of calligraphy with religious
influence. In the 1960’s however, as the Chinese invaded Tibet, Gyatso was forced to
move to London, where an extreme clash of cultures occurred- as he was first exposed
to the globalized culture of the West, which infiltrated his local mindset- “I see my
experience as having a kind of hybridity” he has stated “…time and place collide with one
another”. This hybrid, clash of cultures is evident in Gyatso’s work, “The Shambala in
Modern Times” (2008).
The work by Gyatso “Angel” (2007), the artist is making a comment on global
events, a comment on civil unrest and struggle, framing that through a lens of local and
global tension- looking at how this tension has contributed to unrest.
The work features a colourful cluster of stickers in the middle of the composition
that form the flat shape that is a figure- their arms stretched out in chains. This bright,
multicolored collage in the centre is directly contrasted by the monotone background,
which features intricate Tibetan calligraphy and symbols of tradition, culture, and is
utilizing the art from of Thangka. The figure in the middle is a hooded Iraqi prisoner
captured by American forces. This particular prisoner was hooked up to electric chains
and threatened with torture. This image works as an internationally recognised symbol of
warfare and the vulnerability of humans to this global struggle. The fact that the figure is
made up of stickers further emphasises the notion of civil struggle against mass media
and production, consumerism and liberal free-market capitalism. This perhaps is also
questioning the behaviours of the United States in regards to the Iraqi prisoner, and the
attitudes of materialistic America. The common theme of a hybrid culture is again evident,
in the juxtaposition between the stickers, the figure, and the culturally significant
background detail.
One of the strongest examples of this hybrid art form is his piece Angel (2007)
where we see that his sticker form of Avolokiteshvara is literally breaking away from the
traditional sketch behind the deity.
The most characteristic visual feature of Gyatso’s work is his use of collage.
Stickers, brand logos, paper clippings of texts and images combine with drawings of
stylised clouds, shapes, and written characters to create intricate and animated surfaces
of great visual appeal, in the overall shape of Buddhist deities.
Stickers are symbols of pop culture, of the way Asian cultures have embraced
globalism, and of cheap consumerism, and at the same time are fun and colourful. The
idea came from Gyatso’s daughter’s fascination with stickers. Attracted by ‘their colours
and textures and kind of tackiness’ (Allenchey 2012)