As the Tibetan head of state and the leader of his
country’s Buddhist faith, the Dalai Lama is an inspiration to
millions and a global personality. Rivaled only by presidents and
popes, the Dalai Lama is recognized for his spiritual guidance,
worldwide peace initiatives, and political agenda.
A 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Tenzin Gyatso, is the
fourteenth Dalai Lama. Preferring to be recognized simply as a
humble monk, the Dalai Lama is known for his teachings on kindness,
tolerance, and unity and is the subject of an upcoming exhibit at
the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, opening on Sunday.
“The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama”
is a collaborative exhibit featuring the works of 88 contemporary
artists and their individual reflections on the Dalai Lama.
“This show is the product of over 80 artists who are
telling their own stories. It is about how their stories interface
with the Dalai Lama. Everybody has their own way of looking at
it,” said exhibit curator Randy Rosenberg.
The project’s genesis came in 1998 with the late Richard
Avedon’s photograph “His Holiness the Dalai Lama and
Monks.” Since then the project has assumed a truly
international nature incorporating artists from 25 countries. The
diverse exhibit features works of various media including
interpretive portraits, sculpture, and photographs.
The Fowler museum will organize the original works into thematic
areas such as impermanence, globalization, and the path to peace.
Each piece within the exhibit explores the spiritual, social, or
political aspects of the Dalai Lama’s unique position as both
a spiritual and political leader.
“This show is about universal truths, it is about the
ideals the Dalai Lama embodies. It goes beyond him as a man to
address bigger issues like peace and humanity. We are trying to get
to universal concerns and expand perceptions,” Rosenberg
said.
“The Dalai Lama is a man in exile; the exhibit is about
the world. It is not a Buddhist show, it’s much more than
that.”
“The Missing Peace” offers visitors unique and
personal insights into an allusive figure. Each work represents a
different aspect of the Dalai Lama’s life, work, and
personality. For example, “Reincarnation,” by
Salustiano, reflects the spiritual belief of the Dalai Lama as a
reincarnated soul. Jaune Smith’s “Who Leads Who
Follows” is a testament to the Dalai Lama’s lifetime
commitment to spreading the ideals of patience, peace, and
tolerance. In addition to the original works, the exhibit will also
feature a piece from the Dalai Lama’s personal
collection.
The purpose of the exhibit is to inspire visitors to reflect on
their own lives as they meditate on the ideals of the Dalai
Lama.
In keeping with the Dalai Lama’s charitable activities,
all of the exhibit’s works have been donated by artists and
will be auctioned in order to raise funds for the Dalai Lama
Foundation and the Committee of 100 for Tibet. The ultimate goal of
the exhibit and auction is to promote global peace initiatives.
“I hope people can come away with their own experiences.
We want the exhibit to be informative and educational,”
Rosenberg said.