Calligraphies in Conversation 2015

Ziya Art Centre hosts its second Calligraphies in Conversation International Exhibition in multiple locations across Northern California between November 7th - December 12th 2015.

This year, over 70 artworks is curated out of over 250 submissions from local, national and international artists and calligraphers including Canada, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Italy, India, Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, UK, and USA. A range of diverse traditions and scripts will be exhibited, with an array of Western, Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Hebrew, and Indian traditional calligraphy artworks as well as manifestations of calligraphy in some contemporary and abstract art pieces. The exhibition will host a wide assortment of medium including calligraphy with traditional tools, painting, pottery and ceramics, digital arts and 3D printing, mixed media, metal art and jewellery, collage, and installation.

This is the second occasion Tashi Mannox has been invited to exhibit at the Calligraphy in Conversation event - this time showing one of his more major art-pieces called the Five Coloured Hum. 

The Five Coloured Hum -

The main character hum is colored relating to the five Buddha families and their respective colours. This particular system is in accordance to the teaching of Chogyam Trungpa. (on Hum: “an approach to Mantra” from the collected works Vol 5)

1. bindu head ‘m’, red in colour, Buddha of all accomplishing wisdom.

2. crescent moon, green in colour, Buddha of all encompassing wisdom.
3. ‘ha’ body, white in colour, Buddha of mirror-like wisdom.
4. small ‘a’, yellow in colour, wisdom Buddha of equality.
5. ‘u’ vowel, blue in colour, Buddha of discriminating wisdom.

The Petsug text in Dutch gold leaf is from another text on the Hum character called:

‘The prayer for the realisation of Hum’.

‘Although the enlightened awareness of all the Buddhas of the three times without exception is innately pure, spontaneously established, and beyond description, imagination or expression, the unimpeded union of luminosity and utter lucidity within the Hum, within the self-radiance of the five poisons, uninterrupted pristine cognizance. 

Translation by Eric Tsiknopoulos

Here is the list of the venues:

- November 7th, 5 – 8 p.m. at ICCNC at 1433 Madison Street, Oakland CA 94612

Free opening reception ceremony with remarks, refreshments, and panel discussion and calligraphy demonstration by award winning international calligraphers including:

- Ronald Y. Nakasone: Master in East Asian literati tradition and a member of the Core Doctoral Faculty at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU)

- Arash Shirinbab: Award winning artist and Arabic-Persian calligrapher

- Amol Saraf: Award winning artist and tribal Indian calligrapher from India

- Leon Sun: Printmaker, photographer, painter, graphic designer, three-dimensional artist, writer, poet

- November 14th, 2 – 5 p.m. at Oakland Main Public Library at 125 14th St., Oakland, CA 94612

Free calligraphy demonstrations by award winning and renowned master calligraphers including:

- Rick Paulus: Former White House chief calligrapher

- Alan A. Blackman: Well-known calligrapher & lettering artist (Western scripts)

- Elizabeth Nisperos: Multidisciplinary calligrapher reviving the lost Baybayin script of Philippines 

- Arash Shirinbab: Award winning artist and Arabic-Persian calligrapher

- November 21st, 2 – 5 p.m. at OACC at 388 Ninth St., #290, Oakland, CA 94607

Free special calligraphy silent auction with refreshments, curator’s talk, and calligraphy and art demos by local calligraphers and artists

- December 12th, 2 – 4 p.m. at ICCNC at 1433 Madison Street, Oakland CA 94612

Free closing reception and hands-on workshop: The art of Persian painting and Islamic geometric design in relation to calligraphy. By Maryam Vesal, local artist and maestro of Persian Miniature and Tazheeb.

هنرمند گرامی، با عرض سلام، در صورتی که نام شما در میان اسامی پذیرفته شدگان در نمایشگاه ما بود، مجددا به شما تبریک گفته و خواهشمندیم که حتما هماهنگ فرمایید و آثار را از طریق پست تا قبل از تاریخ 30 اکتبر به دبیرخانه ما برسانید. اطلاعات دبیرخانه:

Organization: ICCNC/ for Calligraphy Exhibition

Address: Street: 1433 Madison St.; City: Oakland; State: California; Postal Code: 94612

      Contact Information: 510-283-4518 or ziya.art.studio@gmail.com

Akong Rinpoche Foundation logo

In March 2015, the eldest son of the former Akong Tulku Rinpoché, Jigme Tarap requested Tashi Mannox to come up with a logo design for the newly formed Akong Rinpoché Foundation, set up to continue the noble work of the 2nd Akong Tulku, and aid support in Northern India, Nepal and the Tibetan homeland, especially Akong Rinpoché's seat monastery in Eastern Tibet, Kham called Dolma Lhakang. 

"Since my fathers sudden departure from this world, we his family, more than ever appreciate the work he has been doing to help others throughout his lifetime. 

It is through his selfless dedication to help others that we have set up the Akong Rinpoché Foundation" - Jigme Tarap.

Several different designs were created from which one was chosen and approved with the blessing of H.E. Kenting Situ Rinpoché.

As a close disciple of Akong Tulku, Tashi explains the logo designs below:

These designs are all quite simply based on Akong's name: ཨ་དཀོན་ which has a very deep meaning. His name will always be given through all of his incarnations, so it is very significant and long lasting, therefore applicable to his new incarnation too.

ཨ་is the root letter of the Tibetan alphabet, that also signifies primordial awareness that is essential to the Nyingma tradtion that he is a lineage holder.

དཀོན་ means sacred, dear, precious, which he is to us of course. within the spelling of this word is the latter ཀ་ which is the first letter of the Tibetan alphabet and the letter/symbol of the Kagyu tradition, that he is also a lineage holder, and even said to be an emanation of Karmapa which also uses the same letter ཀ་ in the essential spelling of Kagyu.

The dominant quality of Rinpoche was his strength, he was a pillar of strength and stability for all of his students, this is why I stacked the word Akong one unit below the other, it stands like a strong tower and nicely balanced that gives stability. I have also stylised these letters to look both strong yet elegant, which was also the qualities of Akong Rinpoche.

The different coloured letters also refer to his activity of body speech and mind of white red and blue, as shown in the final design at the top of this post.

Framed in a circle gives a classical perhaps contemporary feel.

Then we could add a canopy at the top, that denotes the importance and sacredness of the word Akong, this is perhaps more typical traditionally Tibetan, but then Rinpoché was very traditionally Tibetan.

The Akong Rinpoché Foundation can also be followed on Facebook.

Teaching in London Samye Dzong April 2015

Photographs by Nicolas Laborie

brush and ink

www.tashimannox.com

Appreciated in Lhasa.

Two good friends of Tashi recently got in touch with a surprising discovery, Joona Ripo and Matthew Linden during their winter study at Lhasa University, stumbled upon a typical Tibetan tea house on the Barkhor that surrounds the holy Jokhang temple in old Lhasa.

What caught their eye was a recognisable image above the entrance doorway, unexpected and out of context, yet at the same time comfortably at home, was a print of one of Tashi Mannox's art pieces "Kagyu Tiger". 

Being familiar with Tashi's work, they entered to find many more of his works covering the walls of the establishment. Astonished to find this 'voluntary exhibition', the owner was unaware of the artist and did not admit to how he acquired the prints, which where obviously lifted and printed from Tashi's website. 

When this news reached Tashi along with these photos from Matthew Linden, he remarked that it was an honour to have such an 'exhibition' not only in such a sacred place of great connection and blessing so near to the Jokhang, but more so, that the Tibetans themselves value his art and hang it as their own, what a huge compliment!

This last photo below in the tea room shows a group of young Tibetan lads all engaged with their cell phones. The iPhone is apparently the popular choice among Tibetans, mostly because it has an app for writing in the Tibetan language. 

Joona and Matt also commented that they often see Tibetans with a Tashi artwork used as their screen wall paper, as shown below.

See more astonishing photographs from Matthew Linden on his website here.

Learn Tibetan Calligraphy in Brussels

So popular was last years course of Tibetan calligraphy in Brussels, Tashi has been invited back for another intense weekend workshop starting with a public talk on Friday 20th February 2015.

Please follow the link to be sure to book your place here. 

photo from last years course 2014

photo from last years course 2014