We're back with another post featuring Songtsam, the Presenting Sponsor of Asia Week New York 2020. This month we travel to their property in Shangri-La…
Hidden in the city’s peaceful and green valleys between Tibetan villages and Himalayan barley fields, Songtsam's Linka Shangri-La retreat faces the back of Songzanlin Monastery which can be seen across the meadow and is located only a short distance away. Tibetan-style rooms, dining facilities, spa, and other modern amenities are housed in lovingly hand-built stone structures spread over 21 acres of hillside surrounded by snow-capped mountains.
Destinations & Activities Shangri-La is a county-level city at an elevation of 3,200 metres in northwest Yunnan province, China. It has been long viewed as a paradise on earth with its majestic landscapes, diverse cultures, and deep spirituality. Located in a wide valley, Shangri-La is surrounded by mountain ranges on all four sides. It is the capital of the Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and the gateway to the ancient Tibetan kingdom. The region is characterised by snow-capped mountain peaks, pristine forests and lakes, as well as traditional Tibetan villages with white-walled and richly decorated buildings. There are many beautiful hiking routes to explore the mountains, lakes, and idyllic villages and pastures.
Built on the edge of an old park, Songtsam Linka Lhasa offers spectacular views of the nearby Potala Palace located only 5 kilometers away. From the hotel’s slaked lime coloured walls to the indigo carved windows and fish-fin shaped facade, all of these architectural details pay great respect to traditional artisans, Tibetan culture, and ancient wisdom. The interior design is inspired and derived from the lifestyle of Lhasa natives; stylistically decorated with exquisite Thangka paintings and wall tapestries to revive an environment typical of noble families living centuries ago. The Songtsam retreat hosts 50 rooms, all of which exhibit a unique combination of modern and traditional Tibetan aesthetics that are elegantly decorated with wooden floors, wall tapestries, and handcrafted copperware. Each room is also fully equipped with oxygen concentrators to relieve AMS and ensure good rest.
Destinations & Activities Lhasa is the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region and is located at an altitude of 3,650 metres, making it one of the highest cities in the world. Due to its highland temperate and semi-arid monsoon climate, it is known as the 'Sunshine City' receiving nearly 3,000 hours of sunlight each year. The city’s name literally translates to the “Place of the Gods” and has been the cultural, economic, political, and religious centre of Tibet since ancient times. Home to the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and the Drepung and Sera monasteries, it is the most representative “holy land” in the world because of its depth of history and strong cultural heritage. It is said that if you have not been to Lhasa, you will never know the history and essence of Tibetan culture. It is a city of mystical wonder and hidden beauty, attracting people from every corner of the world to visit, live, study, make a pilgrimage, and most of all, to be enlightened.
by Sarah Laursen, Curator of Asian Art, Middlebury College Museum of Art
I first encountered “Perseverance: Japanese Tattoo Tradition in a Modern World” two years ago while visiting the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. Curated by tattoo artist Takahiro Kitamura (AKA Ryūdaibori, formerly Horitaka) and designed by photographer/filmmaker Kip Fulbeck, the exhibition consisted of more than 100 stunning photographs of Japanese-style tattoos, ranging from single sleeves to full bodysuits. I knew immediately that I wanted the exhibition to travel to the Middlebury College Museum of Art in Middlebury, Vermont.
In this exhibition I saw an opportunity to reach out to a diverse cross-section of tattooed Vermonters, including some who may never have visited our museum before. According to The Harris Poll, almost one in three adults in the United States has one or more tattoos, and I suspected that the number might even be higher in Vermont. Even those without tattoos, like myself, might be curious or find inspiration in the gorgeous flowers, fish, deities, and warriors who adorn the subjects of Fulbeck’s photographs. However, in a state with such a small population, I knew it would be difficult to get the word out—I needed a special event to capture the public’s attention.
My brother-in-law, Christopher Holt, and his San Francisco-based tattooer NaKona MacDonald bravely volunteered to do a live tattooing demonstration. Although traditional Japanese tattoo, or irezumi, is performed manually by impressing needles attached to a tool into the skin, this demonstration would employ the tattoo machine, which was invented in 1891 by tattoo artist Samuel O’Reilly.
The only potential obstacle was Vermont’s strict regulatory laws. In order to receive a temporary license—in fact, the first temporary license ever issued by the state—I had to convert the café in the Mahaney Center for the Arts (where the museum is housed) into an actual tattoo shop. This endeavor entailed the participation of more than forty people, including the state inspector who walked me through the process, a local masseuse who lent a massage table, the facilities crew who removed the café’s cappuccino machine, the college lawyers who gave the go-ahead, and the student health center staff who contributed hospital-grade disinfectant and needle disposal. I myself had to draft consent forms and make several trips to the store for gauze, razors, gloves, and other provisions.
On July 9th, with licenses issued, NaKona began sketching out the next phase of Chris’ dragon back piece. That week, a Burlington-based newspaper called Seven Days had listed the event as its top pick for that weekend in Vermont, and more than 300 visitors attended the demonstration and exhibition. (On an average summer Saturday, that number is usually closer to forty.) Museum-goers of all ages—from children perched on parents’ shoulders to octogenarians from the nearby retirement center—flocked to the exhibition and to the café-turned-tattoo-shop, where they peppered NaKona with questions and offered encouragement to Chris.
Perhaps the most remarkable outcome of the demonstration and exhibition was the visible transformation of visitors, from curious and apprehensive to comfortable and inquisitive. Tattooing is still considered taboo in Japan, and that stigma does exist to a lesser degree in the United States. However, exhibitions like “Perseverance” challenge those negative views and open the door to endless new forms of artistic expression.
Watch a brief video of the tattooing demonstration below:
For BIAPAL's fifth video of Asia Week New York highlights, Nicholas Grindley presents “An Incident on a Hunt,” a screen painting by Chen Xiang 陳翔 (1628-1698 or later). Watch below.
“An Incident on a Hunt”
Ink on silk, mounted on two panels in the Japanese manner, but originally mounted either on a single fixed-frame screen or as a hanging scroll. Inscription by the artist: Wuyin xiaochun xie, Siming huanshou Chen Xiang, suinian guxi you yi 戊寅小春寫，四明宦叟陳翔，歲年古希有一 read as “Painted in the tenth lunar month of the wuyin year (1698) by the elderly official of Siming (Ningbo), Chen Xiang, at the age of 71 sui.” Followed by two seals of the artist.
Height 220.7 cm / 88 1/4 in
Width 160 cm / 63 in
Provenance: Ian and Susan Wilson collection, San Francisco, C199.
On the evening of March 14th, Asian art specialists, collectors and curators celebrated the seventh edition of Asia Week New York at a private reception at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Photos of the event are now up in a Facebook album—click here to view. We will be adding to this album throughout the week!
BIAPAL, The Art Video Library, paid a visit to Asia Week New York dealer participant Kapoor Galleries, where Sanjay Kapoor presented a Bodhisattva from 14th century Nepal. Watch below.
For more videos of Asia Week New York highlights, visit the BIAPAL CHANNEL on Vimeo.
Our Facebook photo album of Asia Week New York 2016 galleries is now complete! CLICK HERE to view our best shots from the 44 gallery exhibitions presented by leading international Asian art specialists for our 2016 edition.
Carol Conover of Kaikodo LLC presents a rare hanging scroll painting on silk from the 15th-16th century, for BIAPAL, The Art Video Library.
The artwork being discussed: “Confucian Bowing to a Taoist” Anonymous 15th -16th century 131.7 x 74.8 cm. (51 7/8 x 29 ½ in.) with Chinese Subtitles (provived by Guardian Art Centre)
For BIAPAL's second Asia Week New York highlight, Walter Arader presents a rare thangka representing Four Abbots of Ngor Monastery. Four Abbots of the Ngor Lineage. Tibet, 16th century. Red silk. Canvas 53 x 59 cm (20.75 x 23.25 in); with brocades 53 x 90 cm (20.75 x 35.25 in).
Biapal, the art video library, paid a visit to Chinese art dealer Gisèle Croës at Gagosian Gallery to chat about one of the highlights of her Asia Week New York 2016 exhibition, a rare bronze Nao bell from the late Shang Dynasty.
More videos of Asia Week New York top picks are forthcoming on BIAPAL CHANNEL on Vimeo.
