Bhutan's contemporary art scene makes its mark on international stage

The Bhutanese artists, including Asha Kama, showcased their solo exhibitions in Taiwan recently, according to The Bhutan Live.

Bhutanese contemporary art is now finding a place on the international stage with exhibitions of several Bhutanese artists being held in Europe last year and in Taiwan, this year, The Bhutan Live reported. According to The Bhutan Live, the three Bhutanese artists, including Bhutan's foremost contemporary artist, Kama Wangdi, who is popularly known as Asha Kama, opened their solo exhibitions in Taiwan recently.

65-year-old Kama Wangdi's solo art exhibition titled "Sacred Present" is ongoing at the Dr Sun Yat Sen National Memorial Hall in Taipei. It will end on Wednesday, according to The Bhutan Live. His exhibition includes artworks done in the last five years such as mandalas, the Buddha and sacred dances among others.

Likewise, Gyembo Wangchuk another artist opened his second solo exhibition in Tansbao Gallery last week. Zimbiri a female artist, also opened her exhibition in Taipei. Founder of VAST Bhutan Kama Wangdi said, "Right now, in Taipei for the last two weeks, Bhutan art and artists have taken up a big front page right now and lots of collectors are interested. And we are praying that it goes well."

Tansbao Gallery where Gyembo Wangchuk's works are exhibited was opened by a young lady called Jill Lu for contemporary Bhutanese art. Kama Wangdi said that she is giving Bhutanese artists a break. The plans to expand and showcase Bhutanese art in the regions like Hong Kong, Singapore and China are also in the pipeline, according to The Bhutan Live.

"It is late by then but still, for the next exhibition, it will help us to do better. There is a lot of inspiration and we get a lot of reality checks. So, it boils down to individual artists, of course, the platform is very important but we need a body of work to be there. So, we need to work harder," Wangdi added.

According to Kama Wangdi, exhibitions and art shows are very important for individual artists which allow them to enter into the competitive market. Moreover, he said that each exhibition is an opportunity for artists to learn, get reminded of the areas they need to focus more on and realise how to become a better artist in the future.