ABOUT THE ART

On this issue’s cover, the wrathful deity Mahakala takes a selfie. Ritual objects, once used as a means of communicating with the gods, are replaced. This is the unmistakable work of Lhasa-based painter GADE, whose work juxtaposes traditional symbolism and iconography with the capitalist culture that has permeated contemporary Chinese and Tibetan society. Born to a Tibetan mother and a Han Chinese father, he straddles two worlds: “My generation has grown up with thangka painting, martial arts, Hollywood movies, Mickey Mouse, Charlie Chaplin, rock ‘n’ roll, and McDonald’s. We still don’t know where the spiritual homeland is.”