Charika (Journeys) New Collection – November 2020
NATASHA KUMAR
Natasha Kumar Charika (Journeys)
November 2020
Railings Gallery is delighted to be virtually showcasing Natasha Kumar’s latest collection of hand-drawn silkscreen prints
In line with Government guidance, the gallery will be closed until 3rd December, however we will be on hand to assist clients with enquiries about artworks. Our framing workshop will remain fully operational. Contact us Mondays to Fridays by calling 020 7935 1114 or email us at info@railings-gallery.com Railings Gallery & Framing, 5 New Cavendish Street, London W1G 8UT 020 7935 1114 info@railings-gallery.com www.railings-gallery.com
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“Ihaveseenacelestialparadiseonaclearnight.Isawitfromtheroofoftheworld. Andinthemorning,amongsublimepeaksthatrosefrommist-filledvalleysI watchedmonksplaycricketandprayforenlightenment.”
Natahsa Kumar, Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, 2007
Natasha Kumar’s latest collection of works, Charika(Journey),was born of that moment in 2007, in the Indian Himalaya.
Tawang or Galden Namgey Lhatse, the world’s second largest Buddhist monastery, translates as celestial paradise on a clear night. Close to the contentious, high border of Arunachal Pradesh where China and India collide, it is where the Dalai Lama found refuge, fleeing the Communist occupation of Tibet in 1959.
But it was not the drama of the setting, nor the cricket itself, that provided Natasha with her inspiration.
For all their maroon robes and yak-wool shawls the novice monks risking their ball to the abyss with every boundary could have been village boys. What made them different, what caught Natasha’s imagination to become the works’ point of departure was their journey; the path to enlightenment.
Would they find it? How would they know? What would enlightenment feel like? Natasha’s work explores those questions, each image an imagined snapshot on the journey, inflected through elements integral to Buddhist art, everyday life in the monastery, and its monks.
Where to begin? With a prayer for the swift fulfilment of all wishes, a blessing for the young monk pursuing his destiny in the Pali [sacred text] series. Accompanying him is his patient tulku, an enlightened being who chooses to continue to reincarnate in order to help others achieve enlightenment.
Introduction
Prayer flags
The motif of the padma[lotus flower] series, floating above the murky waters of material attachment and physical desire, reminds our monk of his ultimate goal. A background of yellow to the lotus symbolises the meditation to transform pride into simplicity; of green, the transformation of envy into accomplishment.
But there are other journeys that our travelling monk motif takes us on, real but no less spiritual. In the kunkuma[saffron] series, the monks’ shadows fall on a background of the cloth that wrapped the sacred Buddhist texts smuggled out of Tibet, after the Dalai Lama’s flight. His own journey to Tawang, over the Himalaya, leading the way for others, is recalled through the sengge[snow lion] series that adopts his personal insignia, a celestial snow lion with glowing yellow eyes, and tiny white claws.
Political struggle continues on the high Tibetan plateau. With the ThirdPoleseries, Natasha’s monks head into the fluid confusion of an uncertain geopolitical future. Climate crisis is melting the area’s glaciers, and China is damming the reservoir of fresh water shared across Asia, the largest outside the polar regions. On this journey, we share their destiny.
NATASHA KUMAR
Charika#Mumen,AmethystSeries
Hand-drawn silkscreen print
Image Size: 45.0 x 62.5 cms
Edition of 5
£850.00
Price unframed - contact us for framing options
Enquire about this item
NATASHA KUMAR
Charika#Kunkuma,SaffronSeries
Hand-drawn silkscreen print
Image Size: 45.0 x 62.5 cms
Edition of 10
£850.00
Price unframed - contact us for framing options
Enquire about this item
NATASHA KUMAR
Charika#YarlungTsangpo,RiverSeries
Hand-drawn silkscreen print
Image size: 45.0 x 62.5 cms
Edition of 10 £850.00
Price unframed - contact us for framing options
about this item
Enquire
NATASHA KUMAR
Charika#Padma,LotusFlower,SeriesI
Hand-drawn silkscreen print with pink glitter
Image Size: 45.0 x 62.5 cms
Edition of 10 £900.00
Price unframed - contact us for framing options
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NATASHA KUMAR
Charika#Padma,LotusFlower,SeriesII
Hand-drawn silkscreen print with pink glitter
Image Size: 45.0 x 62.5 cms
Edition of 10 £900.00
Price unframed - contact us for framing options
Enquire about this item
NATASHA KUMAR
Charika#ThirdPoleSeries
Hand-drawn silkscreen print
Image Size: 45.0 x 62.5 cms
Edition of 10
£900.00
Price unframed - contact us for framing options
Enquire about this item
NATASHA KUMAR
Charika#Sengge,SnowLion,SeriesI
Hand-drawn silkscreen print with 22ct Gold
Image Size: 45.0 x 62.5 cms
Edition of 10 £950.00
Price unframed - contact us for framing options
Enquire about this item
NATASHA KUMAR
Charika#Sengge,SnowLion,SeriesII
Hand-drawn silkscreen print with 22ct Gold
Image Size: 45.0 x 62.5 cms
Edition of 6 £1,000.00
Price unframed - contact us for framing options
Enquire about this item
NATASHA KUMAR
Charika#LungtaPrayerFlag,SeriesI
Hand-drawn silkscreen print with 22ct Gold
Image Size: 45.0 x 62.5 cms
Edition of 10 £950.00
Price unframed - contact us for framing options
Enquire about this item
NATASHA KUMAR
Charika#LungtaPrayerFlag,SeriesII
Hand-drawn silkscreen print with 22ct Gold
Image Size: 45.0 x 62.5 cms
Edition of 10 £950.00
Price unframed - contact us for framing options
Enquire about this item
NATASHA KUMAR
Charika#LungtaPrayerFlag,SeriesIII
Hand-drawn silkscreen print
Image Size: 45.0 x 62.5 cms
Edition of 5
£900.00
Price unframed - contact us for framing options
Enquire about this item
Natasha Kumar’s artworks are available to order unframed or framed.
We offer a bespoke framing service in-house, please contact us for details
The prices quoted in this catalogue are for unframed artworks and are inclusive of VAT (UK Sales Tax).
The gallery is temporarily closed in line with Government guidance, but we are on hand to assist clients with enquiries about acquiring artworks and framing orders, collections & deliveries.
Call us on 020 7 935 1114 or email us at info@railings-gallery.com
Monday – Fridays: 10am-5pm
www.railings-gallery.com
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