Woodblock Politics.

Annie Bissett is a talented American artist who creates contemporary woodblock prints by the traditional Japanese method called moku hanga or ukiyo-e. 

The above print called "Train to Lhasa" 33x33 cm, illustrates the copy of a traditional Tibetan "wind-horse prayer flag" that is broken by the intrusion of Chinese letters that translate of "Take root in the countryside while keeping the world in your heart".

Since the Chinese built railway forged its way into the heart of Tibet; making easy access to a previously isolated land of saints and snow, the demise Tibet's unique culture and way of life has been accelerated. 

As Japan, Tibet has a tradition of woodblock printing. A survivor of this tradition is the 'Dege Pakhang' a printing house in Sichuan province of East Tibet. The 'Sutra' print house holds more than 20,0000 wood blocks of Buddhist literature of the great classical scriptures and other historical, medical and astronomical editions. 

Below another Annie Bissett woodblock print called "Honey, I'm worried about the kids" 26x37 cm, that shows a Dutch family of early setters in America, against a background of modern graffiti.