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In the era of #metoo and ongoing seismic shifts in gender relations, we could not have been more excited to host our second Machik Khabda on the pioneering contemporary Tibetan artist, Pekar Monsal, and her lifetime of trailblazing achievements. Curated by Dr. Tashi Rabgey, this Machik Khabda drew on Pekar's aptly titled essay, Art & Character, as an entry point for viewing and reflecting on an online retrospective of Pekar's work, from her early years to the present. We have taken Pekar's provocative phrase, འོད་ཟེར་འཕྲོ་བའི་མོ་མཚན། (shining vagina), as the Tibetan-language title of this Machik Khabda (with accompanying artwork of a vagina growing out of a lotus). We hope this Machik Khabda shed new light onto the creative efforts and thought-leadership of a dynamic and powerful Tibetan woman artist whose visionary work was ahead of its time. To stay updated on Khabda events, join the Khabda mailing list, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. To find a local Machik Khabda near you, contact info@machik.org. |
Gallery | Pekar Retrospective
Gallery of Pekar Monsal’s art work from the 1990s to the present which were created in Tibet, India, and Pi Xian, Chengdu. These pieces are untitled with descriptions for some pieces in brackets. All images except #8 were provided by the artist. Images #9-13 are part of an in-progress large public sculpture. The final piece will be located in Jyekundo and depict 38 unique, individually sculpted figures from the Ling Gesar epic, encircling a large Gesar statue with 110 metres in circumference and 3 metres in height. The one female figure (ཨ་སྟག་ལྷ་མོ། Adak Lhamo) of the 38 is featured in #9.
1. Untitled; 2. Unititled [Machik Labdron portrait #1]. 2012. 3. Untitled [Machik Labdron portrait #2]. 2012. 4. Untitled. 5. Untitled. 6. Untitled. 7. [Shining vagina is detail from original collage cover art for Women’s Status in Tibetan Society (2004, MEEC).] 8. Made in India, 1990s. [Detail of clay sculpture of Tibetan woman with child.] 9. [Detail of ཨ་སྟག་ལྷ་མོ། (Adak Lhamo), woman warrior in Ling Gesar epic. From in-progress clay-to-bronze relief sculpture work. Created in Pixian, for permanent display in Jyekundo. 10. [In-progress detail from clay-to-bronze relief sculpture work depicting scene from Ling Gesar epic.] In progress in Pixian, for permanent display in Jyekundo. 11. [In-progress detail from clay-to-bronze relief sculpture work depicting scene from Ling Gesar epic.] In progress in Pixian, for permanent display in Jyekundo. 12. [Scene from Pekar’s sculpture studio.] In-progress clay-to-bronze relief sculptures depicting scene from Ling Gesar epic. Created in Pixian, for permanent display in Jyekundo. 13. [Detail from clay-to-bronze relief sculptures depicting scene from Ling Gesar epic]. Created in Pixian, for permanent display in Jyekundo. 14. Untitled. [Songtsen Gampo]. 15. Untitled [Tibetan nun debating]. 2018. 16. Untitled [Tibetan nun reading scripture]. 2018. 17. Untitled [Tibetan woman meditating.] 2018. 18. Untitled [pregnant Tibetan in chuba]. 2018. 19. Untitled [pregnant Tibetan in chuba reading]. 2018.
1. Untitled; 2. Unititled [Machik Labdron portrait #1]. 2012. 3. Untitled [Machik Labdron portrait #2]. 2012. 4. Untitled. 5. Untitled. 6. Untitled. 7. [Shining vagina is detail from original collage cover art for Women’s Status in Tibetan Society (2004, MEEC).] 8. Made in India, 1990s. [Detail of clay sculpture of Tibetan woman with child.] 9. [Detail of ཨ་སྟག་ལྷ་མོ། (Adak Lhamo), woman warrior in Ling Gesar epic. From in-progress clay-to-bronze relief sculpture work. Created in Pixian, for permanent display in Jyekundo. 10. [In-progress detail from clay-to-bronze relief sculpture work depicting scene from Ling Gesar epic.] In progress in Pixian, for permanent display in Jyekundo. 11. [In-progress detail from clay-to-bronze relief sculpture work depicting scene from Ling Gesar epic.] In progress in Pixian, for permanent display in Jyekundo. 12. [Scene from Pekar’s sculpture studio.] In-progress clay-to-bronze relief sculptures depicting scene from Ling Gesar epic. Created in Pixian, for permanent display in Jyekundo. 13. [Detail from clay-to-bronze relief sculptures depicting scene from Ling Gesar epic]. Created in Pixian, for permanent display in Jyekundo. 14. Untitled. [Songtsen Gampo]. 15. Untitled [Tibetan nun debating]. 2018. 16. Untitled [Tibetan nun reading scripture]. 2018. 17. Untitled [Tibetan woman meditating.] 2018. 18. Untitled [pregnant Tibetan in chuba]. 2018. 19. Untitled [pregnant Tibetan in chuba reading]. 2018.
Readings
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To accompany the retrospective collection in the gallery above, we're providing English and Tibetan translations of Pekar Monsal's essay "Art and Character," an introductory piece to the book Fading Dreams: Paintings and Sculptures of Pekar, published in 2002 by Amnye Machen Institute (AMI), in commemoration of their 10 year anniversary. Amnye Machen provided support to the artist during her time in Dharamsala where she continued to create and promote art in the local Tibetan community before returning to Tibet.
"Art and Character" was translated into Tibetan by Pema Bhum and into English by the late Elliot Sperling. Thank you to Latse for sharing Fading Dreams. For more information on the excellent resources available at Latse, please visit www.latse.org. 
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The following text by Pekar Monsal was originally published in 2018 in Chinese, as an accompaniment to a series of 10 paintings of Tibetan women. The images found in the text below are from the series of 19 pieces from the machikkhabda.org online gallery. These images are truly unique in their fluidity of movement, the vibrancy of colors and the rare portrayals of women in spiritual practice and in pregnancy. Thank you to Jin Ding for providing this translation. Great gratitude to the artist for sharing her work.
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| 2018_pekarmonsal_text.pdf |
On the Status of Tibetan Women
Women's Status in Tibetan Society: Don't Laugh at Women's Hardships was published in 2004 by Multi Education Editing Center, a group directed by Arjia Rinpoche and based in Dharamsala, India. We are grateful to the MEEC team for featuring this feminist manifesto and highlighting the voice of Pekar Monsal. The group can be reached through email at meec3@yahoo.com.
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ABOUT THE ARTIST
PEKAR MONSAL TIBETAN ARTIST, ESSAYIST Pekar Monsal Desal is an artist born in Atro, Gaba in Kham to a family tradition of Tibetan sculpture and painting. After graduating in 1990 from Northwest Minorities University in Lanzhou, Gansu, with a concentration in oil painting, and additional studies in sculpture, design, dance, music, poetry and philosophy, she was a book designer and translator of Tibetan folk stories. She left for Dharamsala, India in 1993 where she continued to create art and worked to promote art within the local Tibetan community, teaching art classes for students school as well as training art teachers. In 2004 she published her essay Women's Status in Tibetan Society: Don't Laugh at Women's Hardship, a clear and powerful call for gender equity and female empowerment in Tibetan society, chronicling her reflections on art, creativity, and her own experiences as a Tibetan, a woman, and an artist. Pekar Monsal later returned to Tibet with her new family and continues to create art through painting and sculpture. Throughout, her strong feminist convictions, unique talent, and prolific body of work clearly mark her as a distinguished artist and pioneer of her generation. She has exhibited in Tibet, China, and internationally, including in the United States and India. She currently works in Tibet and is based from a studio in Pixian near Chengdu. |
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Be part of the Khabda community
To learn more about becoming a local Khabda host in your community, contact us at info@machik.org.
- Find out where local Machik Khabdas are taking place by contacting info@machik.org
- Share your thoughts on Pekar's art and writings on social media using hashtag #PekarRetrospective or #machikkhabda
- Blog or write your own review of the Khabda materials (don't forget to share it with us @machik_online -- we'd love to hear from you!)
- Check back here for news and updates from the Machik Khabda community discussing Pekar Monsal's work.
To learn more about becoming a local Khabda host in your community, contact us at info@machik.org.
Growing Khabda, One Community at a Time
On April 20th, 2019, the second Machik Khabda program took place in 22 locations around the world. This time around, our focus landed on the groundbreaking work of Pekar Monsal, a pioneering contemporary Tibetan artist and essayist. Through sculpture , painting and drawing, Pekar's talent shines in artwork that skillfully incorporates both traditional and contemporary processes. Her work embolden us to passionately re-consider the stories and challenges faced by women in the world, with a special focus on Tibetan women. In addition to creating art, Pekar has published essays and books that speak directly and clearly to the need to change attitudes on gender relations and female empowerment in Tibetan society.
Reflection and summary notes shared by our local hosts showed that our recent khabdas were surely energetic and lively as people discussed personal experiences & thoughts on how to constructively challenge and change the status of women's empowerment and gender inequities in our communities. At the same time, local conversations highlighted the general lack of value given to creative engagements in Tibetan society and the importance of art-making as a medium to express personal and collective stories.
Welcome to our 10 new hosts who hail from the following places: Bengaluru, Berkeley, Calgary, Chicago, Dharamsala, Helsinki, Jawarlahal Nehru University (New Delhi), Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Portland. We couldn't have been more excited to grow the Khabda community - our sincere gratitude to our returning local hosts as well. If you'd like to host or join an upcoming Khabda gathering in your area, feel free to reach us at info@machik.org.
Reflection and summary notes shared by our local hosts showed that our recent khabdas were surely energetic and lively as people discussed personal experiences & thoughts on how to constructively challenge and change the status of women's empowerment and gender inequities in our communities. At the same time, local conversations highlighted the general lack of value given to creative engagements in Tibetan society and the importance of art-making as a medium to express personal and collective stories.
Welcome to our 10 new hosts who hail from the following places: Bengaluru, Berkeley, Calgary, Chicago, Dharamsala, Helsinki, Jawarlahal Nehru University (New Delhi), Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Portland. We couldn't have been more excited to grow the Khabda community - our sincere gratitude to our returning local hosts as well. If you'd like to host or join an upcoming Khabda gathering in your area, feel free to reach us at info@machik.org.
