Huihan Liu, Journeys to Tibet, Show Preview, American Art Collector, August 2016

P R E V I E W S O F W O R K S F O R S A L E AT U P C O M I N G S H O W S C O A S T T O C O A S T

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ISSUE 130

WAT C H V I D EO S I N T HI S I SSUE

AMERICAN

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AUGUST 2016

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UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / JACKSON, WY

August 1-31, 2016

Trailside Galleries 130 E. Broadway | Jackson, WY 83001 (307) 733-3186 | www.trailsidegalleries.com

HUIHAN LIU

Travels to Tibet O

n a summer morning 12 years ago, artist Huihan Liu departed from Tingri, a town in southern Tibet, and traveled to the Rongbuk Monastery, considered the highest in the world at 16,340 feet. In a written account, Liu describes how breathtaking views of the Himalayas set the scene, as a mix of sun, rain, snow and gusty winds swept across the rocky tundra.

“Mt. Everest’s peak almost faded into the misty clouds, while only the accent light of the glacier could be seen,” he describes.

“Amazingly, wild birds flew past in the sky.

Without thinking, I quickly snapped many shots of this incredible moment…”

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The photos became the basis for Rongbuk Glacier—The Foot Hill of Mt. Everest, one of Liu’s paintings inspired by his many travels to Tibet. This piece and other related works

by Liu will be on display in Journeys to Tibet, a monthlong exhibition running in August at Trailside Galleries in Jackson, Wyoming.

“Having grown up in faraway southern China, I never imagined that I would someday have the chance to explore Tibet,” he says. “The mark that first encounter left on me would lead me to take seven more trips to Tibet during the following 29 years.”

Liu’s Curiosity is based on a 2001

experience when he met a little girl dressed in a costume during the Tibetan New Year Festival in Xiahe, Gansu province, China.

“Her beautiful turquoise necklace and smiling rosy-cheeked face piqued my interest,” Liu describes.

In 2004, Liu visited the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, the secondlargest city in Tibet, when he encountered pilgrims sitting on steps outside the main chanting hall after ritualistically circling the monastery on foot, the inspiration for his work Gathering.

“Their worn clothing suggested they had come a long way to the holy place for making wishes,” Liu explains. “To make this

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1 On The Road, oil on linen, 24 x 30"

pilgrimage, these people must have journeyed more than 1,000 kilometers on foot. Some have a tired posture, while others remain gazing steadily.”

On the Road depicts Liu’s first Tibetan journey to Lhasa during 1987. He describes it as a “quite peaceful and rustic city by the time I visted.”

Liu says his passion for the region made him seek to paint its subjects for many years.

“I can’t tell whether I go back in order to paint, or I paint in order to go back,” he says. “At the same time, I feel like I have not much time to lose, as the modern world’s effect on traditional Tibetan culture grows year by year.”

A reception at the gallery August 4 will include a slideshow presentation that chronicles the many changes impacting the Tibetan people and culture.

2 Gathering, oil on linen, 36 x 42" 3 Pilgrims Making Wishes, Lhasa, oil on linen, 30 x 24"

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