The “54 Views of Wisdom and Compassion” continues to explore the relationship of Tibetan tradition and identity in 21st century. Born in Nepal to a Tibetan Buddhist family, Sherpa was trained by his father to do traditional thangka painting. For the artist, his personal internalised language is distilled from the structured, underlying grid systems and symbols that bring the deity's form to life. Through centuries of reproduction, the essences of many of these spiritual tools have been lost. Bits and pieces have been chipped away or forgotten to be included, due to the patronage of a tourist class that doesn't know the ritual usage of the paintings. By consciously deconstructing and abstracting the deity, Sherpa is interested to see what parts of a deity's essence will be revealed and reinvigorated through the process of exploring meaning, form, and identity.  

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