Consciousness and Form: Contemporary Tibetan Art, as the title suggests, will illustrate the universal tension between the spirit of the artist and his desire to give it form.  In traditional Tibetan art, the five senses are depicted as offerings to the gods while the sixth sense, consciousness, symbolises the body, speech and mind of the deity empowering the organs of the five senses.  Each artist will show two works which express this Eastern concept in their own, very individual, way.

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Visitors to this exhibition of contemporary art including paintings, photographs, drawings and prints and mixed media, will also be able to view a selection of earlier works dating from the 12th to the 17th centuries including two wonderful gilt copper alloy sculptures set with semi-precious stones.  One is a 13th century Nepalese figure of Vasudhara, the Buddhist goddess of abundance, wealth, good fortune and fertility, shown in all her voluptuous magnificence, the other is an unusually large figure of Sadakshari Lokeshvara, the most popular Buddist bodhisattva in the Tibetan pantheon.  It is an important example of the fine metal working tradition of the Khasa Malla kingdom in Western Nepal/Western Tibet which flourished during the 13th and 14th centuries and is extraordinary for its elaboration and luxury indicating it may have been a royal commission.

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