Trinley Dechen: A Touch of the Himalayas
MetaU Art is pleased to present the Tibetan artist Trinley Dechen's solo exhibition—“Trinley Dechen: A Touch of the Himalayas", curated by Haochen Bai.
For Trinley Dechen, the Himalayan palette is "a touch of the Himalaya", a cultural gene, a condition of the eyes, and also a mysterious way of life that brings people together.
Born and raised at the foot of the Himalayas, Trinley Dechen became a local oil painting teacher after finishing his MFA at Tibet University. While Dechen’s life is centered around Himalayan arts, he places himself in the global art scene and exposes himself to the western oil painting tradition. Filtering oil painting tradition through traditional colors, Dechen reconsiders how oil painting would strive and flourish around the Himalayas. For Dechen, the Himalayan palette is "a touch of the Himalaya", a cultural gene, a condition of the eyes, and also a mysterious way of life that brings people together.
This exhibition is a retrospective of Trinley Dechen’s works from 2014 to 2023, including his art series of Still Life, Temple, Himalayan Village, Landscape, Self-Portraits, Portraits , Cloud, Non-Self-Portrtaits, Nimitta, Animitta etc. The theme of “ A Touch of the Himalayas” is consistent in all Trinley Dechen’s artworks.
Still Life Series
▲Trinley Dechen, Still Life No.1, 2019, 70cm×95cm. Oil on canvas.
▲Trinley Dechen, Still Life No.2, 2019, 70cm×95cm. Oil on canvas.
As Trinley Dechen was exposed to still life tradition, he kept thinking about the concept of “Himalayan still life.” By using the Himalayan palette and local objects, he finds his personal expression within the daily objects and the artistic language sprouted from his cultural genes.
Self-portrait Series
▲Lucian Freud, Reflection, 1985. Courtesy of the Lucian Freud Archive/Bridgeman Images.
▲Trinley Dechen, Self‑Portrait No.1, 2014, 95cm×70cm. Oil on canvas.
One of the main threads of Dechen’s art practices is his persistent experiments in self-portraits. Lucian Freud’s works shocked him by the creative use of colors and the spiritual dimensions. Dechen then fostered his own color philosophy and applied it to his self-portraits.
▲Measurements in Image-Making Sutra. Courtesy of http://www.fohuawang.com/.
Measurements in Image-Making Sutra is a Buddhist canon in Tibet that regulates every detail, proportion, and composition, considering Buddhist image-making. Historically, Himalayan art follows this sutra meticulously, uses a grid to confirm the proportion, and regards authenticity as the supreme goal of art.
▲Trinley Dechen, Non-Self‑Portrait No.1, 2023, 100cm×100cm. Acrylic on canvas.
This spirit of faithful representation triggers Dechen to ponder over the truth embedded in "self-portrait".Since "non-self" is the key Buddhist concept and Tibetan philosophy, his Non-Self-Portrait series invites a secondary thought on "self-portrait,", existence, and measurement.
▲ Francis Bacon, Three Studies Of George Dyer, 1966. Courtesy of www.francis-bacon.com
▲Trinley Dechen, Animitta No.4, 2023, 135cm × 90cm. Acrylic on canvas.
Along those lines of thinking, Dechen proceeded to experiment with his artistic language to explore the depth of self-portraits. Resonating with Francis Bacon’s methods, Dechen turned his attention to the truth beneath distortions and continued his journey through self-portraits.
Temple Series
▲Trinley Dechen,Temple No.2, 2018, 70cm×95cm. Oil on canvas.
For Dechen, the Buddhist temple symbolizes spiritual purity and is also an impartible part of his childhood memory. Attracted by the mysterious palette in those temples, Dechen utilized high-contrast colors to reflect the purity of his memory and feelings.
Himalayan Village Series
▲Trinley Dechen, Himalayan Village No.1, 2018, 60cm×80cm. Oil on canvas.
▲Trinley Dechen, Himalayan Village No.4, 2018, 50cm×60cm. Oil on canvas.
After learning the traditional Thangka art, Dechen applied the Thangka symbolism and techniques to his oil painting practice. For instance, the cloud in Himalayan Village No. 1 is from Thangka art, and yet he realized it with his own high-contrast palette. Similar to the Temple Series, Dechen explores the spiritual purity of his hometown and fosters an artistic language that fits his cultural genes.
Landscape Series
▲Trinley Dechen, Landscape No.8, 2022, 80cm × 60cm. Oil on canvas.
▲Trinley Dechen, Landscape No.4, 2022, 70cm × 95cm. Oil on canvas.
In the Landscape Series, Dechen dives into the spiritual dimension of landscape and the truth beneath its appearance. Since the lotus in Buddhist iconography symbolizes purity, the lotus in Landscape No. 8 elucidates the transcendent resonance of landscape.
Cloud Series
▲Trinley Dechen, Cloud Series No.1, 2014, 135cm × 90cm. Oil on canvas.
▲Trinley Dechen, Cloud Series No.9, 2014, 150cm×115cm. Oil on canvas.
▲A traditional himalayan thangka. Courtesy of https://www.himalayanart.org/.
Using Himalayan thangka’s composition, techniques, and colors, Dechen came up with the Cloud Series to dig into his search for himself. Against the background of the Tangka tradition, Dechen wonders how personal expression was placed within the Buddhist and Himalayan traditions. The cloud symbolizes uncertainty; the opening month refers to inner conflicts; and the colors bring together religious mysteries and humanity.
Portrait Series and Nimitta Series
▲Trinley Dechen, Portrait No.4, 2018, 95cm × 70cm. Oil on canvas.
▲Trinley Dechen, Portrait No.2, 2018, 80cm × 60cm. Oil on canvas.
▲Trinley Dechen, Nimitta No.1, 2018, 130cm × 100cm. Oil on canvas.
▲Trinley Dechen, Nimitta No.12, 2022, 100cm × 100cm. Oil on canvas.
Having studied Himalayan thangka and temple murals, Dechen was intrigued by the mysterious physiognomy and glamorous eyes. Taking those observations into his portraits of Himalayan people, he highlights the inner serenity of each individual by delineating the eyes of a bodhisattva. While the Portrait Series focuses on the portrait of each individual, the Nimitta Series features a group of Himalayan people.
