宇宙迷宮：喜馬拉雅當代藝術
LABYRINTHUS UNIVERSI: Himalayan Contemporary Art

喜馬拉雅山脈南北兩麓與廣袤的青藏高原，被視為人類已知最嚴峻的生存環境之一。然而，這片土地不僅是多元文明的交會之處，更為孕育佛教文明的重要源頭。本展所介紹的當代藝術家來自喜馬拉雅山南麓的尼泊爾與不丹，這兩個國家在全球化劇變的浪潮中，皆須重新思考自身傳統文化的定位。正因如此，透過喜馬拉雅當代藝術家的作品，我們得以見證他們如何在傳統與當代之間，探索承續與再詮釋的可能性。藏傳佛教的遺產與唐卡繪畫的傳統深刻影響著當地藝術創作，但當代藝術家們同時也渴望轉化並超越既有的規範，將豐富的圖像傳統轉化為當代藝術的創新語彙。此種獨特的創作路徑，使喜馬拉雅當代藝術展現出獨特的魅力。

本展由尼泊爾藝術家才仁．夏爾帕（Tsherin Sherpa）個展「識界」與不丹藝術家聯展「療癒」組成，共呈現四位來自喜馬拉雅地區的重要藝術家。

才仁．夏爾帕1968年生於加德滿都，曾留學臺灣，後移民美國，現往返於尼泊爾與加州兩地。他被視為尼泊爾最具代表性的當代藝術家之一，創作橫跨多種類型。其早年接受唐卡繪畫訓練，並以藏傳佛教圖像為靈感來源，發展出結合普普藝術語彙的當代繪畫創作。藝術家常將這些圖像重新組構、扭轉與融合，逐步開展出獨特的抽象系列作品。此外，他近年的鎏金銅雕則與尼泊爾尼瓦爾匠師合作，將古典技藝與當代創意結合，形塑出別具特色的藝術語彙。

身為近年最受國際矚目的喜馬拉雅當代藝術家，才仁．夏爾帕擁有豐富的展出經歷。他不僅於2022年第59屆威尼斯雙年展代表尼泊爾參展，更在美國舉辦過四次大型個展。其中包括：2022年於維吉尼亞美術館（Virginia Museum of Fine Arts）的個展、2023年於蒙特雷美術館（Monterey Museum of Art）的個展，以及2024年於維吉尼亞美術館舉辦的回顧展「Tsherin Sherpa: Local Spirits」。此次於臺灣的個展「識界」探討藝術家個人於離散過程之中，如何以當代藝術的視角重尋對傳統文化圖像的表現，並進而建構出屬於藝術家個人的「宇宙迷宮」（Labyrinthus Universi）。對才仁．夏爾帕而言，臺灣在其人生旅程中亦具特殊意義，因此他特別為本展創作全新作品。

「不丹當代藝術：療癒」展出訶莎．卡瑪（Asha Kama）、金寶．旺楚克（Gyempo Wangchuk）與金柏麗（Zimbiri）三位不丹藝術家的作品，探討如何在傳統與現代之間縫合自我追尋與時代變動的療癒之術。訶莎．卡瑪是該國最早赴英修習當代藝術的藝術家，致力於將嶄新的創作觀念融入不丹傳統藝術，因此被譽為「不丹當代藝術之父」。本展介紹的金寶．旺楚克亦曾師承於他，他在唐卡畫師與當代藝術家兩種身份間自由切換，嘗試以傳統技法與觀念重新詮釋當代喜馬拉雅的生活與倫理觀。出身皇室的金柏麗，因曾於印度、泰國與美國求學，而使其創作游移於東西文明之間。她透過傳統顏料與虎的象徵，創作出如迷宮般的圖像；不僅展現鄉愁式的認同追尋，也折射出女性視角下的自我投射。

本展不僅是亞洲首度於公立美術館呈現的喜馬拉雅當代藝術大型聯展，也希望透過探討相近的語境與議題，讓遙遠的喜馬拉雅地區更貼近觀眾。才仁．夏爾帕個展「識界」除展出其經典系列外，亦特別為臺南展覽創作《火魂》、《水魂》、《地魂》及《風魂》等系列作品及裝置作品〈祈願樹〉，展現他如何藉由當代藝術的語彙，延續對宗教、傳統文化與身分認同的探尋與再現。「不丹當代藝術：療癒」則以三位藝術家的作品為切面，呈現不丹當代藝術的獨特魅力。記憶、傳統與宗教，以及如何在當代語境中重新確立自我定位，正是本次展出四位藝術家所共同面對的課題。在由過去與未來交織而成的迷宮中，我們期待觀眾能從作品中找到屬於自身與遠方的宇宙。

The Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau are among the most formidable environments on Earth, yet they have long stood at the crossroads of civilizations and served as a cradle of Buddhist culture. This exhibition showcases contemporary artists from Nepal and Bhutan—two nations that are actively reimagining the role of tradition in an era shaped by globalization. Their works explore how Himalayan artists move between the past and the present, transforming Buddhist heritage and the practice of thangka painting into innovative contemporary expressions. It is this dynamic dialogue between inheritance and reinvention that gives Himalayan contemporary art its distinctive power and resonance.

 This exhibition comprises Tsherin Sherpa: Cosmos and Identities—and Bhutanese Contemporary Art: Shanti of Healing, together presenting four significant artists from the Himalayan region.

Born in Kathmandu in 1968, Tsherin Sherpa studied in Taiwan, and years later moved to the United States, and now divides his time between Nepal and California. Widely recognized as one of Nepal’s leading contemporary artists, his practice spans diverse media. Trained in traditional thangka painting, he draws on Tibetan Buddhist imagery while infusing it with the visual language of Pop Art, reassembling and transforming motifs into dynamic abstract compositions. In recent years, Sherpa has also collaborated with Newar craftsmen on Nepali fire-gilded bronze sculptures, merging classical techniques with contemporary expression to create a distinctive artistic vocabulary.

As one of the most internationally recognized contemporary Himalayan artists in recent years, Tsherin Sherpa has an extensive exhibition history. He represented Nepal at the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022 and has held four major solo exhibitions in the United States, including a solo show at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 2022, another at the Monterey Museum of Art in 2023, and the 2024 retrospective Tsherin Sherpa: Local Spirits at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The solo exhibition Cosmos and Identities explores how the artist, through the lens of contemporary art, revisits traditional imagery amid experiences of diaspora to construct his own “cosmic labyrinth/Labyrinthus Universi.” Taiwan also holds a special significance in Sherpa’s personal journey, inspiring him to create new works specifically for this exhibition.

Bhutanese Contemporary Art: Shanti of Healing presents works by Asha Kama, Gyempo Wangchuk, and Zimbiri, exploring how the healing act of art can stitch together personal quest and cultural change between tradition and modernity. Asha Kama, among the first Bhutanese artists to study contemporary art in the UK, integrated new ideas into local traditions and is regarded as the “father of Bhutanese contemporary art.” His student Gyempo Wangchuk shifts fluidly between thangka painter and contemporary artist, reinterpreting Himalayan life and ethics through traditional techniques. Zimbiri, a member of the Bhutanese royal family, studied in India, Thailand, and the United States; her labyrinth-like images, created with traditional pigments and the tiger motif, reflect both a nostalgic search for identity and a distinctly female perspective.

This exhibition marks the first large-scale presentation of Himalayan contemporary art in a public museum in Asia, aiming to bring this distant region closer to audiences. Insight, Tsherin Sherpa’s solo exhibition, features both classic works and new pieces created for Tainan, including the Fire Spirit, Water Spirit, Earth Spirit, and Air Spirit series, as well as the installation Wish-fulfilling Tree. Shanti of Healing, showcasing three Bhutanese artists, highlights the distinctive character of Bhutanese contemporary art. Across the exhibition, themes of memory, tradition, religion, and cultural identity emerge as shared concerns, inviting viewers to reflect on their own place within a universe shaped by both past and future.

才仁・夏爾帕
Tsherin Sherpa

訶莎・卡瑪 
Asha Kama

金寶・旺楚克
Gyempo Wangchuk

金柏麗
Zimbiri

策展人：高森信男
Curator: Nobuo Takamori

指導單位：臺南市政府
Supervisor: Tainan City Government

主辦單位：臺南市美術館、雙清文教基金會
Organizer: Tainan Art Museum, Hung’s Arts Foundation

特別感謝：丹之寶
Special Thanks: Tansbao Gallery

才仁・夏爾帕，〈向黑唐卡致敬II〉，2025，壓克力顏料、墨水、畫布，145 × 152.4 公分。
Tsherin Sherpa, Homage to Black Thangka II, 2025, Acrylic and ink on canvas, 145 × 152.4 cm.


訶莎・卡瑪，〈三十五佛懺：離苦之道〉，2025，土壤顏色、壓克力顏料、畫布，119 × 119公分 。
Asha Kama, “Buddha of Confession” 35 Paths to Freedom from Negativity, 2025, Soil colour and acrylic on canvas, 119 × 119 cm.


金寶・旺楚克，〈心靈〉，2016，天然礦物顏料、畫布，114 × 86 公分。
Gyempo Wangchuk, Mind, 2016, Natural colour on canvas, 114 × 86 cm.


金柏麗，〈迷宮之輪（幼虎）〉，2025，天然礦物顏料、手工編織帆布，118 × 116 公分。
Zimbiri, Maze Wheel (Cub), 2025, Saa-tshen on Rhay-shing, 118 × 116 cm.