Tuesday February 21, 2023 in the conference room of Musée Cernuschi at 6 PM.
Conference by Liu Chang, Doctoral student EPHE/CRCAO
Modern and contemporary art in Tibet never seems to have any connection with the art movement in the rest of the world; it rarely even participates in contemporary art activities in mainland China and remains very little known. According to Tibetan-Chinese artist Gade (2003), it is like a strange creature, which has grown and developed without visible preparation, and suddenly arises like a mixture of nightclub neon lights, temple butter lamps Jokhang and the Potala Palace, with plastic coconut leaves at its feet. This presentation attempts to show what contemporary Tibetan art can be in its social context: how Tibetan artists engage in the (de)construction of identity (local/globalised, authentic/imagined and individual/collective); what role they play at the crossroads between tradition and modernity, in the political scenario and the vagaries of the market.