The Rubin is transforming. On October 6, 2024, the Rubin will close its 17th Street galleries and transition into a global museum model, continuing to present Himalayan art through traveling exhibitions, digital experiences, and collaborations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and beyond. To mark the transition, enjoy free admission to the Museum all weekend long.
Visit our 20th-anniversary exhibition, Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now. The Museum-wide exhibition features artworks by over 30 contemporary artists, many from the Himalayan region and diaspora and others inspired by Himalayan art and cultures. The entire Museum is transformed by new commissions and recent works juxtaposed with objects from the Rubin’s collection, inviting new ways of encountering traditional Himalayan art. The exhibition will travel next to Wrightwood 659 in Chicago, where it will open on November 8, 2024.
Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now is supported by Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Noah P. Dorsky, Fred Eychaner, Mimi Gardner Gates, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, LLC, Agnes Gund, Jack Lampl, Marina Abramović Institute (MAI), New York Life, Matt and Ann Nimetz, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Namita and Arun Saraf, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Taipei Cultural Center in New York, and UOVO.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
The Rubin Museum’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Rubin is transforming. On October 6, 2024, the Rubin will close its 17th Street galleries and transition into a global museum model, continuing to present Himalayan art through traveling exhibitions, digital experiences, and collaborations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and beyond. To mark the transition, join us for a 17th Street Farewell Party and toast to the Rubin’s next chapter.
- Enjoy free admission, cocktails, live DJ music by DJ Rekha, and a dance party.
- Visit our 20th-anniversary exhibition, Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now. The Museum-wide exhibition features artworks by over 30 contemporary artists, many from the Himalayan region and diaspora and others inspired by Himalayan art and cultures. The entire Museum is transformed by new commissions and recent works juxtaposed with objects from the Rubin’s collection, inviting new ways of encountering traditional Himalayan art. The exhibition will travel next to Wrightwood 659 in Chicago, where it will open on November 8, 2024.
About the DJ
DJ Rekha pioneered merging bhangra and Bollywood sounds with contemporary electronic dance music. Her debut album, DJ Rekha Presents Basement Bhangra, features a track with Wyclef Jean and was released by E1 Music. She is the founder of Basement Bhangra and Bollywood Disco and cofounder of Mutiny Club nights. Named “Ambassador of Bhangra” by the New York Times, she has done remixes for artists ranging from Meredith Monk to Priyanka Chopra. Rekha has received numerous community awards, and in 2009 she was inducted into New York City’s People’s Hall of Fame. She has curated events for Celebrate Brooklyn and Central Park SummerStage and has performed at the White House for President Barack Obama as well as internationally. DJ Rekha was a Grand Marshall of the 9th Annual NYC Dance Parade in 2015. In January 2017 she was one of the official DJs for the historic Women’s March on Washington, DC.
Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now is supported by Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Noah P. Dorsky, Marina Abramović Institute (MAI), Mimi Gardner Gates, Fred Eychaner, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Jack Lampl, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, LLC, Agnes Gund, New York Life, Matt and Ann Nimetz, Namita and Arun Saraf, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Taipei Cultural Center in New York, and UOVO.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
The Rubin Museum’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Rubin is transforming. On October 6, 2024, the Rubin will close its 17th Street galleries and transition into a global museum model, continuing to present Himalayan art through traveling exhibitions, digital experiences, and collaborations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and beyond. To mark the transition, enjoy free admission to the Museum all weekend long.
Visit our 20th-anniversary exhibition, Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now. The Museum-wide exhibition features artworks by over 30 contemporary artists, many from the Himalayan region and diaspora and others inspired by Himalayan art and cultures. The entire Museum is transformed by new commissions and recent works juxtaposed with objects from the Rubin’s collection, inviting new ways of encountering traditional Himalayan art. The exhibition will travel next to Wrightwood 659 in Chicago, where it will open on November 8, 2024.
Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now is supported by Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Noah P. Dorsky, Fred Eychaner, Mimi Gardner Gates, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, LLC, Agnes Gund, Jack Lampl, Marina Abramović Institute (MAI), New York Life, Matt and Ann Nimetz, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Namita and Arun Saraf, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Taipei Cultural Center in New York, and UOVO.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
The Rubin Museum’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Rubin is transforming. On October 6, 2024, the Rubin will close its 17th Street galleries and transition into a global museum model, continuing to present Himalayan art through traveling exhibitions, digital experiences, and collaborations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and beyond. To mark the transition, enjoy free admission to the Museum all weekend long.
Visit our 20th-anniversary exhibition, Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now. The Museum-wide exhibition features artworks by over 30 contemporary artists, many from the Himalayan region and diaspora and others inspired by Himalayan art and cultures. The entire Museum is transformed by new commissions and recent works juxtaposed with objects from the Rubin’s collection, inviting new ways of encountering traditional Himalayan art. The exhibition will travel next to Wrightwood 659 in Chicago, where it will open on November 8, 2024.
Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now is supported by Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Noah P. Dorsky, Fred Eychaner, Mimi Gardner Gates, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, LLC, Agnes Gund, Jack Lampl, Marina Abramović Institute (MAI), New York Life, Matt and Ann Nimetz, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Namita and Arun Saraf, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Taipei Cultural Center in New York, and UOVO.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
The Rubin Museum’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Rubin is transforming. On October 6, 2024, the Rubin will close its 17th Street galleries and transition into a global museum model, continuing to present Himalayan art through traveling exhibitions, digital experiences, and collaborations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and beyond. To mark the transition, enjoy free admission to the Museum all weekend long.
Visit our 20th-anniversary exhibition, Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now. The Museum-wide exhibition features artworks by over 30 contemporary artists, many from the Himalayan region and diaspora and others inspired by Himalayan art and cultures. The entire Museum is transformed by new commissions and recent works juxtaposed with objects from the Rubin’s collection, inviting new ways of encountering traditional Himalayan art. The exhibition will travel next to Wrightwood 659 in Chicago, where it will open on November 8, 2024.
Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now is supported by Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Noah P. Dorsky, Fred Eychaner, Mimi Gardner Gates, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, LLC, Agnes Gund, Jack Lampl, Marina Abramović Institute (MAI), New York Life, Matt and Ann Nimetz, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Namita and Arun Saraf, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Taipei Cultural Center in New York, and UOVO.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
The Rubin Museum’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Rubin is transforming. On October 6, 2024, the Rubin will close its 17th Street galleries and transition into a global museum model, continuing to present Himalayan art through traveling exhibitions, digital experiences, and collaborations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and beyond.
To mark this shift, Museum visitors are invited to a public ceremony, where as many as 2,500 flags of good wishes will be displayed outside the building, echoing the way the Rubin opened the building twenty years ago on October 2, 2004.
The ceremony is a culmination of the Rubin’s Flag Project 2.0. From September 1 through October 6, Museum visitors cocreated these flags bearing their wishes for the future. The flag templates were designed by five artists whose work is included in the exhibition Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now, including Asha Kama Wangdi, Kabi Raj Lama, Losel Yauch, Shushank Shrestha, and Yangdzom Lama.
This collaboration between Himalayan diaspora artists and the general public draws upon the prayer-flag tradition of the mountain regions of Himalayan Asia. Prayer flags (dhar ho in Tibetan) are displayed in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition to generate merit and increase one’s life force.
Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now is supported by Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Noah P. Dorsky, Marina Abramović Institute (MAI), Mimi Gardner Gates, Fred Eychaner, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Jack Lampl, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, LLC, Agnes Gund, New York Life, Matt and Ann Nimetz, Namita and Arun Saraf, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Taipei Cultural Center in New York, and UOVO.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
The Rubin Museum’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
With Forbidden Songs, Tibetan singer-songwriter and artist YESHE embodies the voice for the voiceless singers and songwriters whose songs are forbidden to sing and perform in today’s Tibet. Singers and songwriters in Tibet have been and are still being imprisoned for writing and performing these songs of identity, social justice, displacement, freedom, and hope for the future and what it means to belong.
This durational performance piece features YESHE’s solo voice joined at times by multiple Tibetan female voices to sing and repeat 10 forbidden songs. By collecting and learning these songs and being in dialogue with the singers, YESHE activates the room with her voice and a set design reminiscent of symbols of the Tibetan flag, merging the past and present, and creating an extension of their voices to tell stories beyond oppression and across time and space.
The forbidden songs are performed live in the theater and can be heard simultaneously via speakers in the spiral staircase and broadcasted on the Marina Abramović Institute’s YouTube channel.
Forbidden Songs is part of the exhibition Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now and was developed under the mentorship of the Marina Abramović Institute. YESHE took part in an in-person week-long workshop along with one-on-one sessions with Marina Abramović, a pioneer in durational performance who has long been interested in art and practices from the greater Himalayan region.
The performance is co-curated by Marina Abramović and Michelle Bennett Simorella, Director of Curatorial Administration and Collections at the Rubin.
YESHE will perform Forbidden Songs on September 8, 15, and 22.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
YESHE (she/her)
b. Baden, Switzerland; lives and works in New York and Zurich
YESHE is a Tibetan singer and artist born and raised in Switzerland, based in New York City and Zurich. YESHE performed recently live at Basel Social Club at Art Basel and the Tang Teaching Museum at Skidmore College.
Together, with the collective xenometok she developed 49 days, a multimedia music and dance performance theater piece, which premiered in 2022 at the Theaterhaus Gessnerallee in Zurich and was presented at L’Arsenic Les Urbaines in Lausanne and at the Kaaitheater in Brussels. YESHE is currently working on her debut album.
@__yeshe__ / linktr.ee/_YESHE_
Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now is supported by Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Noah P. Dorsky, Marina Abramović Institute (MAI), Mimi Gardner Gates, Fred Eychaner, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Jack Lampl, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, LLC, Agnes Gund, New York Life, Matt and Ann Nimetz, Namita and Arun Saraf, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Taipei Cultural Center in New York, and UOVO.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
The Rubin Museum’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
With Forbidden Songs, Tibetan singer-songwriter and artist YESHE embodies the voice for the voiceless singers and songwriters whose songs are forbidden to sing and perform in today’s Tibet. Singers and songwriters in Tibet have been and are still being imprisoned for writing and performing these songs of identity, social justice, displacement, freedom, and hope for the future and what it means to belong.
This durational performance piece features YESHE’s solo voice joined at times by multiple Tibetan female voices to sing and repeat 10 forbidden songs. By collecting and learning these songs and being in dialogue with the singers, YESHE activates the room with her voice and a set design reminiscent of symbols of the Tibetan flag, merging the past and present, and creating an extension of their voices to tell stories beyond oppression and across time and space.
The forbidden songs are performed live in the theater and can be heard simultaneously via speakers in the spiral staircase and broadcasted on the Marina Abramović Institute’s YouTube channel.
Forbidden Songs is part of the exhibition Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now and was developed under the mentorship of the Marina Abramović Institute. YESHE took part in an in-person week-long workshop along with one-on-one sessions with Marina Abramović, a pioneer in durational performance who has long been interested in art and practices from the greater Himalayan region.
The performance is co-curated by Marina Abramović and Michelle Bennett Simorella, Director of Curatorial Administration and Collections at the Rubin.
YESHE will perform Forbidden Songs on September 8, 15, and 22.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
YESHE (she/her)
b. Baden, Switzerland; lives and works in New York and Zurich
YESHE is a Tibetan singer and artist born and raised in Switzerland, based in New York City and Zurich. YESHE performed recently live at Basel Social Club at Art Basel and the Tang Teaching Museum at Skidmore College.
Together, with the collective xenometok she developed 49 days, a multimedia music and dance performance theater piece, which premiered in 2022 at the Theaterhaus Gessnerallee in Zurich and was presented at L’Arsenic Les Urbaines in Lausanne and at the Kaaitheater in Brussels. YESHE is currently working on her debut album.
@__yeshe__ / linktr.ee/_YESHE_
Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now is supported by Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Noah P. Dorsky, Marina Abramović Institute (MAI), Mimi Gardner Gates, Fred Eychaner, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Jack Lampl, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, LLC, Agnes Gund, New York Life, Matt and Ann Nimetz, Namita and Arun Saraf, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Taipei Cultural Center in New York, and UOVO.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
The Rubin Museum’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
With Forbidden Songs, Tibetan singer-songwriter and artist YESHE embodies the voice for the voiceless singers and songwriters whose songs are forbidden to sing and perform in today’s Tibet. Singers and songwriters in Tibet have been and are still being imprisoned for writing and performing these songs of identity, social justice, displacement, freedom, and hope for the future and what it means to belong.
This durational performance piece features YESHE’s solo voice joined at times by multiple Tibetan female voices to sing and repeat 10 forbidden songs. By collecting and learning these songs and being in dialogue with the singers, YESHE activates the room with her voice and a set design reminiscent of symbols of the Tibetan flag, merging the past and present, and creating an extension of their voices to tell stories beyond oppression and across time and space.
The forbidden songs are performed live in the theater and can be heard simultaneously via speakers in the spiral staircase and broadcasted on the Marina Abramović Institute’s YouTube channel.
Forbidden Songs is part of the exhibition Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now and was developed under the mentorship of the Marina Abramović Institute. YESHE took part in an in-person week-long workshop along with one-on-one sessions with Marina Abramović, a pioneer in durational performance who has long been interested in art and practices from the greater Himalayan region.
The performance is co-curated by Marina Abramović and Michelle Bennett Simorella, Director of Curatorial Administration and Collections at the Rubin.
YESHE will perform Forbidden Songs on September 8, 15, and 22.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
YESHE (she/her)
b. Baden, Switzerland; lives and works in New York and Zurich
YESHE is a Tibetan singer and artist born and raised in Switzerland, based in New York City and Zurich. YESHE performed recently live at Basel Social Club at Art Basel and the Tang Teaching Museum at Skidmore College.
Together, with the collective xenometok she developed 49 days, a multimedia music and dance performance theater piece, which premiered in 2022 at the Theaterhaus Gessnerallee in Zurich and was presented at L’Arsenic Les Urbaines in Lausanne and at the Kaaitheater in Brussels. YESHE is currently working on her debut album.
@__yeshe__ / linktr.ee/_YESHE_
Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now is supported by Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Noah P. Dorsky, Marina Abramović Institute (MAI), Mimi Gardner Gates, Fred Eychaner, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Jack Lampl, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, LLC, Agnes Gund, New York Life, Matt and Ann Nimetz, Namita and Arun Saraf, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Taipei Cultural Center in New York, and UOVO.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
The Rubin Museum’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
In her latest work, Per(sever)e, Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye moves through internal and physical dialogues that channel the elements, space, and the body. Inspired by Machik Labdron and the chod lineage, Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye imagines severing ideas of attachment to the self and her habitual ways of perceiving. Twist, spill, unfold, and repeat—she welcomes what arises.
Machik Labdron (1055–1153) is a historical figure famous for her mastery of the tantric practice of chod (“cutting through ego”) and who represents the path to female buddhahood. Cutting through ego or cutting attachments refers to the willingness to give up everything for other sentient beings, a goal for Buddhist practitioners.
Throughout the eight-day performance, the artist detaches the symbolic strings of “the self” that envelop her space, as if peeling back the layers of an onion. Her movements portray a tug of war between the modern society of her upbringing and the Buddhist roots in her Tibetan body. As she releases the strings, she attempts to sever ideas of the self while being in the present. For the movement, the artist listens to her body and draws from the five elements present in the Kalachakra Cosmology illustration: earth (yellow), water (white), fire (red), air (green), and space or quintessence (blue). The illustration can be viewed in this gallery.
This performance is co-curated by Marina Abramović and Michelle Bennett Simorella and made possible through the Marina Abramović Institute.
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye will perform Per(sever)e at the Rubin on September 5–8 and 12–15, 2024.
About the Artist
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye (she/her)
b. 1997, Seattle, WA; lives in Seattle, WA; works in Seattle, WA and Boston, MA
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye is a Tibetan American artist who works in dance performance, choreography, film, and improvisation. Movement and media form the visual components of her art as she investigates states that bring change and focus. Her practice is rooted in her Tibetan heritage as she is fueled by the desire to understand how the Dharma can be applied to this industrial society. She seeks ways we can reimagine ourselves and community.
“I am interested in exploring the ego because it is the basis that forms attachment, dualistic thinking, and is the root cause of suffering. In this work, I am diving into the core dilemma by being present while creating an internal process without a finished narrative from beginning to end. In this continuing moment of discovery, I’m trying to channel the presence and impermanence within the body.”
—Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye
www.tshedzom.com / @tshedzom
Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now is supported by Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Noah P. Dorsky, Marina Abramović Institute (MAI), Mimi Gardner Gates, Fred Eychaner, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Jack Lampl, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, LLC, Agnes Gund, New York Life, Matt and Ann Nimetz, Namita and Arun Saraf, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Taipei Cultural Center in New York, and UOVO.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
The Rubin Museum’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
In her latest work, Per(sever)e, Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye moves through internal and physical dialogues that channel the elements, space, and the body. Inspired by Machik Labdron and the chod lineage, Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye imagines severing ideas of attachment to the self and her habitual ways of perceiving. Twist, spill, unfold, and repeat—she welcomes what arises.
Machik Labdron (1055–1153) is a historical figure famous for her mastery of the tantric practice of chod (“cutting through ego”) and who represents the path to female buddhahood. Cutting through ego or cutting attachments refers to the willingness to give up everything for other sentient beings, a goal for Buddhist practitioners.
Throughout the eight-day performance, the artist detaches the symbolic strings of “the self” that envelop her space, as if peeling back the layers of an onion. Her movements portray a tug of war between the modern society of her upbringing and the Buddhist roots in her Tibetan body. As she releases the strings, she attempts to sever ideas of the self while being in the present. For the movement, the artist listens to her body and draws from the five elements present in the Kalachakra Cosmology illustration: earth (yellow), water (white), fire (red), air (green), and space or quintessence (blue). The illustration can be viewed in this gallery.
This performance is co-curated by Marina Abramović and Michelle Bennett Simorella and made possible through the Marina Abramović Institute.
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye will perform Per(sever)e at the Rubin on September 5–8 and 12–15, 2024.
About the Artist
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye (she/her)
b. 1997, Seattle, WA; lives in Seattle, WA; works in Seattle, WA and Boston, MA
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye is a Tibetan American artist who works in dance performance, choreography, film, and improvisation. Movement and media form the visual components of her art as she investigates states that bring change and focus. Her practice is rooted in her Tibetan heritage as she is fueled by the desire to understand how the Dharma can be applied to this industrial society. She seeks ways we can reimagine ourselves and community.
“I am interested in exploring the ego because it is the basis that forms attachment, dualistic thinking, and is the root cause of suffering. In this work, I am diving into the core dilemma by being present while creating an internal process without a finished narrative from beginning to end. In this continuing moment of discovery, I’m trying to channel the presence and impermanence within the body.”
—Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye
www.tshedzom.com / @tshedzom
Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now is supported by Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Noah P. Dorsky, Marina Abramović Institute (MAI), Mimi Gardner Gates, Fred Eychaner, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Jack Lampl, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, LLC, Agnes Gund, New York Life, Matt and Ann Nimetz, Namita and Arun Saraf, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Taipei Cultural Center in New York, and UOVO.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
The Rubin Museum’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
In her latest work, Per(sever)e, Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye moves through internal and physical dialogues that channel the elements, space, and the body. Inspired by Machik Labdron and the chod lineage, Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye imagines severing ideas of attachment to the self and her habitual ways of perceiving. Twist, spill, unfold, and repeat—she welcomes what arises.
Machik Labdron (1055–1153) is a historical figure famous for her mastery of the tantric practice of chod (“cutting through ego”) and who represents the path to female buddhahood. Cutting through ego or cutting attachments refers to the willingness to give up everything for other sentient beings, a goal for Buddhist practitioners.
Throughout the eight-day performance, the artist detaches the symbolic strings of “the self” that envelop her space, as if peeling back the layers of an onion. Her movements portray a tug of war between the modern society of her upbringing and the Buddhist roots in her Tibetan body. As she releases the strings, she attempts to sever ideas of the self while being in the present. For the movement, the artist listens to her body and draws from the five elements present in the Kalachakra Cosmology illustration: earth (yellow), water (white), fire (red), air (green), and space or quintessence (blue). The illustration can be viewed in this gallery.
This performance is co-curated by Marina Abramović and Michelle Bennett Simorella and made possible through the Marina Abramović Institute.
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye will perform Per(sever)e at the Rubin on September 5–8 and 12–15, 2024.
About the Artist
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye (she/her)
b. 1997, Seattle, WA; lives in Seattle, WA; works in Seattle, WA and Boston, MA
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye is a Tibetan American artist who works in dance performance, choreography, film, and improvisation. Movement and media form the visual components of her art as she investigates states that bring change and focus. Her practice is rooted in her Tibetan heritage as she is fueled by the desire to understand how the Dharma can be applied to this industrial society. She seeks ways we can reimagine ourselves and community.
“I am interested in exploring the ego because it is the basis that forms attachment, dualistic thinking, and is the root cause of suffering. In this work, I am diving into the core dilemma by being present while creating an internal process without a finished narrative from beginning to end. In this continuing moment of discovery, I’m trying to channel the presence and impermanence within the body.”
—Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye
www.tshedzom.com / @tshedzom
Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now is supported by Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Noah P. Dorsky, Marina Abramović Institute (MAI), Mimi Gardner Gates, Fred Eychaner, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Jack Lampl, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, LLC, Agnes Gund, New York Life, Matt and Ann Nimetz, Namita and Arun Saraf, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Taipei Cultural Center in New York, and UOVO.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
The Rubin Museum’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
In her latest work, Per(sever)e, Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye moves through internal and physical dialogues that channel the elements, space, and the body. Inspired by Machik Labdron and the chod lineage, Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye imagines severing ideas of attachment to the self and her habitual ways of perceiving. Twist, spill, unfold, and repeat—she welcomes what arises.
Machik Labdron (1055–1153) is a historical figure famous for her mastery of the tantric practice of chod (“cutting through ego”) and who represents the path to female buddhahood. Cutting through ego or cutting attachments refers to the willingness to give up everything for other sentient beings, a goal for Buddhist practitioners.
Throughout the eight-day performance, the artist detaches the symbolic strings of “the self” that envelop her space, as if peeling back the layers of an onion. Her movements portray a tug of war between the modern society of her upbringing and the Buddhist roots in her Tibetan body. As she releases the strings, she attempts to sever ideas of the self while being in the present. For the movement, the artist listens to her body and draws from the five elements present in the Kalachakra Cosmology illustration: earth (yellow), water (white), fire (red), air (green), and space or quintessence (blue). The illustration can be viewed in this gallery.
This performance is co-curated by Marina Abramović and Michelle Bennett Simorella and made possible through the Marina Abramović Institute.
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye will perform Per(sever)e at the Rubin on September 5–8 and 12–15, 2024.
About the Artist
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye (she/her)
b. 1997, Seattle, WA; lives in Seattle, WA; works in Seattle, WA and Boston, MA
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye is a Tibetan American artist who works in dance performance, choreography, film, and improvisation. Movement and media form the visual components of her art as she investigates states that bring change and focus. Her practice is rooted in her Tibetan heritage as she is fueled by the desire to understand how the Dharma can be applied to this industrial society. She seeks ways we can reimagine ourselves and community.
“I am interested in exploring the ego because it is the basis that forms attachment, dualistic thinking, and is the root cause of suffering. In this work, I am diving into the core dilemma by being present while creating an internal process without a finished narrative from beginning to end. In this continuing moment of discovery, I’m trying to channel the presence and impermanence within the body.”
—Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye
www.tshedzom.com / @tshedzom
Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now is supported by Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Noah P. Dorsky, Marina Abramović Institute (MAI), Mimi Gardner Gates, Fred Eychaner, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Jack Lampl, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, LLC, Agnes Gund, New York Life, Matt and Ann Nimetz, Namita and Arun Saraf, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Taipei Cultural Center in New York, and UOVO.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
The Rubin Museum’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
In her latest work, Per(sever)e, Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye moves through internal and physical dialogues that channel the elements, space, and the body. Inspired by Machik Labdron and the chod lineage, Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye imagines severing ideas of attachment to the self and her habitual ways of perceiving. Twist, spill, unfold, and repeat—she welcomes what arises.
Machik Labdron (1055–1153) is a historical figure famous for her mastery of the tantric practice of chod (“cutting through ego”) and who represents the path to female buddhahood. Cutting through ego or cutting attachments refers to the willingness to give up everything for other sentient beings, a goal for Buddhist practitioners.
Throughout the eight-day performance, the artist detaches the symbolic strings of “the self” that envelop her space, as if peeling back the layers of an onion. Her movements portray a tug of war between the modern society of her upbringing and the Buddhist roots in her Tibetan body. As she releases the strings, she attempts to sever ideas of the self while being in the present. For the movement, the artist listens to her body and draws from the five elements present in the Kalachakra Cosmology illustration: earth (yellow), water (white), fire (red), air (green), and space or quintessence (blue). The illustration can be viewed in this gallery.
This performance is co-curated by Marina Abramović and Michelle Bennett Simorella and made possible through the Marina Abramović Institute.
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye will perform Per(sever)e at the Rubin on September 5–8 and 12–15, 2024.
About the Artist
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye (she/her)
b. 1997, Seattle, WA; lives in Seattle, WA; works in Seattle, WA and Boston, MA
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye is a Tibetan American artist who works in dance performance, choreography, film, and improvisation. Movement and media form the visual components of her art as she investigates states that bring change and focus. Her practice is rooted in her Tibetan heritage as she is fueled by the desire to understand how the Dharma can be applied to this industrial society. She seeks ways we can reimagine ourselves and community.
“I am interested in exploring the ego because it is the basis that forms attachment, dualistic thinking, and is the root cause of suffering. In this work, I am diving into the core dilemma by being present while creating an internal process without a finished narrative from beginning to end. In this continuing moment of discovery, I’m trying to channel the presence and impermanence within the body.”
—Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye
www.tshedzom.com / @tshedzom
Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now is supported by Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Noah P. Dorsky, Marina Abramović Institute (MAI), Mimi Gardner Gates, Fred Eychaner, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Jack Lampl, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, LLC, Agnes Gund, New York Life, Matt and Ann Nimetz, Namita and Arun Saraf, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Taipei Cultural Center in New York, and UOVO.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
The Rubin Museum’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
In her latest work, Per(sever)e, Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye moves through internal and physical dialogues that channel the elements, space, and the body. Inspired by Machik Labdron and the chod lineage, Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye imagines severing ideas of attachment to the self and her habitual ways of perceiving. Twist, spill, unfold, and repeat—she welcomes what arises.
Machik Labdron (1055–1153) is a historical figure famous for her mastery of the tantric practice of chod (“cutting through ego”) and who represents the path to female buddhahood. Cutting through ego or cutting attachments refers to the willingness to give up everything for other sentient beings, a goal for Buddhist practitioners.
Throughout the eight-day performance, the artist detaches the symbolic strings of “the self” that envelop her space, as if peeling back the layers of an onion. Her movements portray a tug of war between the modern society of her upbringing and the Buddhist roots in her Tibetan body. As she releases the strings, she attempts to sever ideas of the self while being in the present. For the movement, the artist listens to her body and draws from the five elements present in the Kalachakra Cosmology illustration: earth (yellow), water (white), fire (red), air (green), and space or quintessence (blue). The illustration can be viewed in this gallery.
This performance is co-curated by Marina Abramović and Michelle Bennett Simorella and made possible through the Marina Abramović Institute.
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye will perform Per(sever)e at the Rubin on September 5–8 and 12–15, 2024.
About the Artist
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye (she/her)
b. 1997, Seattle, WA; lives in Seattle, WA; works in Seattle, WA and Boston, MA
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye is a Tibetan American artist who works in dance performance, choreography, film, and improvisation. Movement and media form the visual components of her art as she investigates states that bring change and focus. Her practice is rooted in her Tibetan heritage as she is fueled by the desire to understand how the Dharma can be applied to this industrial society. She seeks ways we can reimagine ourselves and community.
“I am interested in exploring the ego because it is the basis that forms attachment, dualistic thinking, and is the root cause of suffering. In this work, I am diving into the core dilemma by being present while creating an internal process without a finished narrative from beginning to end. In this continuing moment of discovery, I’m trying to channel the presence and impermanence within the body.”
—Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye
www.tshedzom.com / @tshedzom
Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now is supported by Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Noah P. Dorsky, Marina Abramović Institute (MAI), Mimi Gardner Gates, Fred Eychaner, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Jack Lampl, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, LLC, Agnes Gund, New York Life, Matt and Ann Nimetz, Namita and Arun Saraf, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Taipei Cultural Center in New York, and UOVO.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
The Rubin Museum’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
In her latest work, Per(sever)e, Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye moves through internal and physical dialogues that channel the elements, space, and the body. Inspired by Machik Labdron and the chod lineage, Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye imagines severing ideas of attachment to the self and her habitual ways of perceiving. Twist, spill, unfold, and repeat—she welcomes what arises.
Machik Labdron (1055–1153) is a historical figure famous for her mastery of the tantric practice of chod (“cutting through ego”) and who represents the path to female buddhahood. Cutting through ego or cutting attachments refers to the willingness to give up everything for other sentient beings, a goal for Buddhist practitioners.
Throughout the eight-day performance, the artist detaches the symbolic strings of “the self” that envelop her space, as if peeling back the layers of an onion. Her movements portray a tug of war between the modern society of her upbringing and the Buddhist roots in her Tibetan body. As she releases the strings, she attempts to sever ideas of the self while being in the present. For the movement, the artist listens to her body and draws from the five elements present in the Kalachakra Cosmology illustration: earth (yellow), water (white), fire (red), air (green), and space or quintessence (blue). The illustration can be viewed in this gallery.
This performance is co-curated by Marina Abramović and Michelle Bennett Simorella and made possible through the Marina Abramović Institute.
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye will perform Per(sever)e at the Rubin on September 5–8 and 12–15, 2024.
About the Artist
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye (she/her)
b. 1997, Seattle, WA; lives in Seattle, WA; works in Seattle, WA and Boston, MA
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye is a Tibetan American artist who works in dance performance, choreography, film, and improvisation. Movement and media form the visual components of her art as she investigates states that bring change and focus. Her practice is rooted in her Tibetan heritage as she is fueled by the desire to understand how the Dharma can be applied to this industrial society. She seeks ways we can reimagine ourselves and community.
“I am interested in exploring the ego because it is the basis that forms attachment, dualistic thinking, and is the root cause of suffering. In this work, I am diving into the core dilemma by being present while creating an internal process without a finished narrative from beginning to end. In this continuing moment of discovery, I’m trying to channel the presence and impermanence within the body.”
—Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye
www.tshedzom.com / @tshedzom
Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now is supported by Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Noah P. Dorsky, Marina Abramović Institute (MAI), Mimi Gardner Gates, Fred Eychaner, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Jack Lampl, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, LLC, Agnes Gund, New York Life, Matt and Ann Nimetz, Namita and Arun Saraf, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Taipei Cultural Center in New York, and UOVO.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
The Rubin Museum’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
In her latest work, Per(sever)e, Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye moves through internal and physical dialogues that channel the elements, space, and the body. Inspired by Machik Labdron and the chod lineage, Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye imagines severing ideas of attachment to the self and her habitual ways of perceiving. Twist, spill, unfold, and repeat—she welcomes what arises.
Machik Labdron (1055–1153) is a historical figure famous for her mastery of the tantric practice of chod (“cutting through ego”) and who represents the path to female buddhahood. Cutting through ego or cutting attachments refers to the willingness to give up everything for other sentient beings, a goal for Buddhist practitioners.
Throughout the eight-day performance, the artist detaches the symbolic strings of “the self” that envelop her space, as if peeling back the layers of an onion. Her movements portray a tug of war between the modern society of her upbringing and the Buddhist roots in her Tibetan body. As she releases the strings, she attempts to sever ideas of the self while being in the present. For the movement, the artist listens to her body and draws from the five elements present in the Kalachakra Cosmology illustration: earth (yellow), water (white), fire (red), air (green), and space or quintessence (blue). The illustration can be viewed in this gallery.
This performance is co-curated by Marina Abramović and Michelle Bennett Simorella and made possible through the Marina Abramović Institute.
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye will perform Per(sever)e at the Rubin on September 5–8 and 12–15, 2024.
About the Artist
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye (she/her)
b. 1997, Seattle, WA; lives in Seattle, WA; works in Seattle, WA and Boston, MA
Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye is a Tibetan American artist who works in dance performance, choreography, film, and improvisation. Movement and media form the visual components of her art as she investigates states that bring change and focus. Her practice is rooted in her Tibetan heritage as she is fueled by the desire to understand how the Dharma can be applied to this industrial society. She seeks ways we can reimagine ourselves and community.
“I am interested in exploring the ego because it is the basis that forms attachment, dualistic thinking, and is the root cause of suffering. In this work, I am diving into the core dilemma by being present while creating an internal process without a finished narrative from beginning to end. In this continuing moment of discovery, I’m trying to channel the presence and impermanence within the body.”
—Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye
www.tshedzom.com / @tshedzom
Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now is supported by Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Noah P. Dorsky, Marina Abramović Institute (MAI), Mimi Gardner Gates, Fred Eychaner, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Jack Lampl, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, LLC, Agnes Gund, New York Life, Matt and Ann Nimetz, Namita and Arun Saraf, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Taipei Cultural Center in New York, and UOVO.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
The Rubin Museum’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
How do you transform your mind and embrace true, unshakeable happiness? Buddhism is rooted in the simple idea that you can train your mind to suffer less and flourish more. In this experiential talk, Cortland Dahl discusses with journalist Adam Davidson the journey through the core principles and meditation practices of the Buddhist tradition.
Premium tickets include a copy of the book. A book signing will follow the program.
This program is presented in association with Shambhala Publications.
About the Book
“A Meditator’s Guide to Buddhism is that rare combination of impressive clarity and warmheartedness, so that we feel invited to our own direct experience of a path to freedom. Reading it, whether you are new to meditation or a more experienced student, will enrich your understanding and inspire you to live these truths.”
—Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Life
About the Speakers
Cortland Dahl is a scientist, Buddhist scholar and translator, and meditation teacher. Dahl is the cofounder of Tergar International, a global network of meditation centers, with Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. He studied at Buddhist centers across Asia, including many years living in Nepal and India. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, Dahl is also actively involved in scientific research on meditation and human flourishing at the Center for Healthy Minds. A Meditator’s Guide to Buddhism is his first book.
Adam Davidson is co-founder of NPR’s Planet Money. He was an economics writer for The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine and author of the book, The Passion Economy: The New Rules for Thriving in the Twenty-first Century. In 2020, he left Brooklyn for Vermont and, a bit later, started meditating seriously.
Lead support for the Rubin Museum is provided by Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, Dharma Joy Foundation, Noah P. Dorsky, Fred Eychaner, Christopher J. Fussner, Agnes Gund, The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Global, the Estate of Lisina M. Hoch, Henry Luce Foundation, The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Matt and Ann Nimetz, The Randleigh Foundation Trust, Shelley and Donald Rubin, Tiger Baron Foundation, and Ellen Bayard Weedon Foundation.
General operating support of the Rubin Museum of Art is provided by the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Alex J. Ettl Foundation, Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Anne E. Delaney, Dalio Philanthropies, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, LLC, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Basha Frost Rubin and Scott Grinsell, Namita and Arun Saraf, Linda Schejola, Eric and Alexandra Schoenberg, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Jesse Smith and Annice Kenan, Tsherin Sherpa, Tong-Tong Zhu and Jianing Liu, with generous donations from the Museum’s Board of Trustees, individual donors and members, and corporate and foundation supporters.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
The Rubin Museum’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
