The Book Launch on 3 December 2022 was accompanied by an exclusive, week-long exhibition of Dolpa artists at the Taragaon Next in Kathmandu. The event was covered in eKantipur and Pahilo Post.

Meet the artists:

Pasang Dolpo

Pasang Dolpo was born in Bhijer village in Upper Dolpo in 1987. From a very young age, he was interested in drawing, although most of his time was taken up with helping his mother: as the eldest son, he had to step in to assist when his father passed away when he was only five years old. Pasang would spend some of the winters with his uncle at Samling monastery and with his maternal grandfather at Lang monastery, where he studied Tibetan language and culture. When he was nine years old, he left Dolpo to study in Himachal-Pradesh, India. There he finished higher secondary school and went on to complete a Bachelor in Fine Arts from Panjab University, Chandigarh, India in 2013. He then worked as a freelance artist in New Delhi and South India for three years, before coming back to Nepal. Currently Pasang is based in Boudha, Kathmandu, where he runs Ananda Tree House, focused on improving the opportunities for young Dolpo women and Dolpopas.

Chering Gyalpo Gurung

Chering Gyalpo Gurung was born in Shey Phoksundo rural municipality, Ringmo, Dolpa in 1998. Like many Dolpopa children, he left Ringmo to study in Kathmandu at a very young age. Chering won his first national art competition in grade 8, with a painting in which he reflected on the beauty of Nepal's nature by using Dolpo examples. After finishing his secondary education, he started a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Srijana College of Fine Arts in Kathmandu. He is currently in his final year. Chering likes to work multi-modally, finding his voice through his artworks. He is passionate about raising awareness regarding the new generation of Dolpa artists, proudly representing Dolpa culture.

Tenzin Ngudup Lama

Tenzin Ngudup Lama was born in Pungmo, Shey Phoksundo rural municipality, Dolpa in 1999. Tenzin left Dolpa when he was nine years old to study Buddhism in Sikkim, India, as an aspiring monk. He came back to Nepal in 2016, where he started painting, having been inspired by all the paintings in gonpas he studied in. He is a new generation Bon thangka artist, inspired by Tenzin Norbu's modernist take on thangka painting. He graduated from Bon and Tibetan Thangka Institute, Kathmandu in 2021. His works are based on his memories and experiences in Dolpa, particularly focusing on the disappearing way of Bon life and specifically Bon culture and art.

Tenzin Norbu

Tenzin Norbu was born in Tinje (Tinkye), Dolpo in 1971. He hails from a lineage of painters dating back more than four hundred years. He was trained by his father in the art of thangka painting, an integral part of Himalayan spiritual life. Tenzin mixes the traditional thangka genre with novel approaches to Himalayan life and landscapes, and is currently one of the leading figures in Tibetan contemporary art. He is an illustrator of four children’s books, and his work has appeared in National Geographic and the Academy Award–nominated feature film Caravan/Himalaya. His work has also been featured in major exhibitions in Paris and New York. Tenzin is passionate about broadcasting the power of art, particularly when it comes to the restoration and renovation of Dolpo's monasteries and other cultural heritage..