The Meditative Scribe

Tashi Mannox returns to New York with The Meditative Scribe - a retrospective exhibition of contemporary Tibetan calligraphic art. 

The exhibition includes both original artworks and limited edition giclee art print spanning over the past two decades. A variety of art pieces demonstrate not only the rich diversity and beauty the Tibetan calligraphy traditions has to offer, but also spiritually meaningful iconography of Tibetan Art.

Tashi Mannox, once a Buddhist monk himself for 17 years of his young adult life, is now celebrated as the world foremost Tibetan calligraphist and Dharma artist, with an ability to communicate the integrity of ancient Buddhist wisdoms, while presented palatable for the 21st century, as relative today as it was historically beneficial. 

Learn the art of writing beautiful Tibetan Calligraphy with Tashi Mannox.

Introducing the traditional geomantic guidelines of the classical Uchen script - Tashi leads a comprehensive two days course in how to correctly construct the letters of the Tibetan alphabet, vowels signs and subjoined letters.

Workshops are suitable for beginners who wish to master wielding a pen for a firm foundation in writing elegant Tibetan, as well as for those more advanced who wish to further their skills in Tibetan calligraphy.

Please bring with you a pad of good quality paper and square nib calligraphy pens, pencil and rule.

To book a place on the workshop, please follow the link here.

-  The Trace Foundation - 132 Perry St, #2B, New York 10014.

EXHIBITION
Friday, February 9
Exhibition Opening Reception 6:30 - 8:30 pm

February 13 - March 3
Exhibition Open
Tuesday -Saturday 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

WORKSHOP
Saturday, February 10
Workshop 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday, February 11
Workshop 11:00 am - 4:00 pm

Sharjah 7th Calligraphy Biennial 2016

Tibetan Calligraphy in the UAE

'Sphere of Dharmata' Tashi Mannox 2016

Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial has always been known to be of one of the most remarkable events taking place in the region. It aims at revealing the power of the letter in bringing cultures together. Through predominantly Arabic Calligraphy from contemporary artists across the Islamic world, there are over 206 calligraphy artists taking part, including other calligraphy masters of different cultures and traditions, totalling of 683 works.

Sharjah is the neighbouring state of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. It is celebrated for its vast internationally attended universities and museums of the arts and Islamic culture.

So if you find yourself in Dubai Between 6^th April – 6^th June 2016 why not take the short drive to the Sharjah Calligraphy Museum to feast your eyes on the marvels of Islamic and other calligraphy disciplines of the world.

For the Sharjah Biennial in general, exhibition sites are a range of venues including the Sharjah Art Foundation Art Spaces, the Sharjah Art Museum, and the nearby traditional buildings and courtyards of the Arts and Heritage areas.

This is the third Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial that Tashi Mannox has been invited to partake, this time exhibiting two of his Tibetan calligrahy pieces especially created for this event, as seen above and below. 

'Born of Bindu' Tashi Mannox 2016

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

Calligraphies in Conversation

Calligraphies in Conversation is an international exhibition at the Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California (ICCNC) highlighting traditional Middle Eastern and Islamic calligraphic art in dialogue with other calligraphy traditions specially Far East calligraphy.

“Calligraphies in Conversation” runs from March to May 2014 and focuses on the connections between Islamic and Eastern calligraphic traditions. ICCNC is incredibly excited to pilot this new project in conjunction with Ziya Art Center and partners from nearby Oakland Chinatown such as Oakland Asian Cultural Center.

An exhibition of curated and newly-made calligraphy from both traditions will be on display. The Curatorial and Jury Panel consists of ICCNC and Ziya Art Center experts as well as local artists have received over 115 submissions from invited calligraphers and through an open call for artists. Most of submissions were from the US, mainly Bay Area, California; but there were several international submissions from different countries including Tashi Mannox of the United Kingdom, Shu Yi Liu of China, Mohammad Navid Bazargan of Iran, Uehira Baikei of Japan, and Josh Berer of Turkey. After a competitive jury process close to 50 artworks have been accepted from 20 artists for the exhibit illustrating a diverse array of Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, Arabic, Persian, and Turkish calligraphy artworks.

As an additional goal, the exhibitions, by encompassing traditional artworks of different cultures, aim to foster dialogue between diverse cultures and faiths through a traditional art form. Such viewing combinations are rare in California, and will provide the public with the unique opportunity to recognize shared features: The traditions all highlight the power of written word via inscribing it artistically with pen and ink, and emphasize a direct relationship between spirituality and calligraphy. Being a good calligrapher, in the traditional sense, goes hand in hand with developing strong spirit and character.

Above, one of the exhibits from Tashi Mannox entitled "The Great Perfection of Ah" available in the link here to order as a limited edition print.

Art exhibition launch

A detail of a new embossed 'ink-less' calligraphy
Especially created for the new exhibition.

A beautiful sunshine spring day marked the opening of Tashi Mannox's "Illuminated Optimism" exhibition at the Monnow Valley Arts Centre on the border of Wales and the Brecon Beacon National Park.

Chief Trustee Rupert Otten (pictured center) introduces Richard Kindersly and Tashi Mannox at their joint show opening.

Short welcome speeches were delivered by Richard and Tashi to a select audience including Tashi's mother Sally Somersby and his Art photographer and giclée printer Malcolm Payne of 'Colourfast Editions'

Malcolm, Tashi and Sally.

Tashi explains his works that are exhibited in the light and fresh studio space 

The exhibition runs along side Richard Kindersly's word sculpture show until the 30th June 2013, a well worth trip out into the stunning Herefordshire countryside near to the Black Mountains of the Brecon Beacon National Park.

The Monnow Valley Art centre is open to the public:
Wednesday - Friday 11am - 5pm
Weekends 2 - 5pm

Entrance to gallery exhibitions is free, but a donation is requested if not visiting the gardens.
Entrance to gardens, sculpture and National Collection of Contemporary Memorial Arts is by donation of £5 per adult (concessions £3) children under 14 for free.

The Monnow Valley Arts Centre   see map
Walterstone
Herefordshire
HR2 0DY

01873 860 529

Calligraphy of paper and stone

For those who enjoy the art of beautiful letterform, be it inked on paper or incised in stone, of both East and Western traditions. You may enjoy to adventure out to contemplate art in a clear fresh gallery space or dwell in nature to enjoy the freedom of wondering between sculptures of wise words.....

From the 4th May to the 30th June 2013

Internationally celebrated Richard Kindersly and Tashi Mannox hold a joint exhibition at The Monnow Valley Arts Centre, majestically located beside the Black Mountains of the Brecon Beacon National Park.

From its purpose built art studio, galleries and beautifully arranged gardens, dotted with scriptural carved standing stones and other sculptural wonders, is a view that inspires greatness and lifts the heart.

Throughout the gardens Richard Kindersly exhibits his calligraphy sculptures called 'Material World'. In this exhibition Richard explores the difference between gestural and geomatrically constructed letter forms. These are skillfully demonstrated as carved letters in sandblasted glass, moulded concrete, wood, steel and paper (sometimes with the same text) to show us how lettering can be used in unusual ways and unusual materials.

While in the studio gallery Tashi Mannox exhibits a collection of works called 'Illuminated Optimism' from his Contemporary and traditional calligraphy series, depicting positive and thought provoking Tibetan Buddhist themes in a medium of ink on paper. Such as his first public showing of 'Hog eats Cock eats Snake' which represents the basic foundation of Samsara and the three aspects of ego: delusion, attachment and aversion, that feed on each other in a perpetual cycle. To remedy this on the path to liberation, Tashi illustrates the classical 'Four Foundations', four topics that are traditionally meditated upon, that lay a firm foundation of right motivation and diligence on the path to enlightenment.

The original Art pieces in the exhibition have been the basis for a series of high quality, limited edition Giclee prints that are also available for sale, making these works accessible to all.

A new embossed mantra art piece also premiers at the exhibition. This piece is the first of a new series of 'ink-less' calligraphy pieces which again demonstrates the diversity of Tashi's talent in bringing the integral tradition of Tibetan calligraphy into the 21st century.

The Immaculate Ushnisha mantra

om padmo ushnisha bi ma le hum phat

གཙུག་ཏོར་དྲི་མེད།

This is a purification mantra that is traditionally displayed on a beam or above a doorway.

It is said that the mantra has the power to bless and cleanse every-time one passes below, and is sometimes named as the ‘mind your head’ mantra.  

The Monnow Valley Art centre is open to the public:
Wednesday - Friday 11am - 5pm
Weekends 2 - 5pm

Entrance to gallery exhibitions is free, but a donation is requested if not visiting the gardens.
Entrance to gardens, sculpture and National Collection of Contemporary Memorial Arts is by donation of £5 per adult (concessions £3) children under 14 for free.

The Monnow Valley Arts Centre   see map
Walterstone
Herefordshire
HR2 0DY

01873 860 529