Tangka is often seen as a pearl on the crown of Tibetan art. And now, you can see some of these precious pieces on display in Shanghai. And if your pockets are deep enough, you can even own some of them. 20 of the works will be auctioned for charity on Saturday, with the money being donated to protect cultural heritage in the quake-hit Yushu county in Qinghai province.
How can these Tangka keep their color for as long as hundreds of years? The secret is the pigment. The colorful material is actually powder from various gems and precious stones. And it's also one of the reasons why producing Tangka is so time-consuming. Artists from western Qinghai province gave a demonstration of how Tangka is made. In seven days, they will produce a vivid "Mandala", a Sanskrit word which means a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point.
Stars of the exhibition include rarely-seen Tangka of the 14th century, and a huge piece co-created by 18 painters who spent a year to complete it. Along with them are nearly one-hundred pieces possessing a wide array of content and styles collected from western Qinghai province and the Tibet Autonomous Region.
The curator says the up coming auction will benefit the Red Cross Society of China who will build a museum for oral and intangible cultural heritage in Yushu county.
The Tangka exhibition will open free to public until Sunday.
Editor: Feng Hui
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