Karma Phuntsok

Karma Phuntsok (; born 1952 in Lhasa, Tibet) is a Tibetan painter.
He fled Tibet with his family after the uprising against the Chinese in 1959, escaping into India as refugees. He studied drawing and painting through his school years in India. In 1973 Karma studied thanka painting with a master of traditional Tibetan thanka painting in Nepal. Since then he has been making paintings based on Tibetan Buddhist deities.
In 1981 Karma migrated to Australia, and now lives in the bush north of Kyogle with his wife and son.
Karma's paintings are collected worldwide, and published in various books and magazines. His recent paintings are mostly experiments, interweaving traditional techniques and symbols, with modern inspirations.
Historical background and studies.
1959 Became a refugee after the Chinese invasion of Tibet.
1960 to 1970. Ten years of school in Northern India.
1973 Apprenticeship with a master of traditional Tibetan Thanka painting in Nepal.
1974 Became a full-time professional Thanka painter.
1980 Migrated to Australia.
Exhibitions.
Individual exhibitions.
2011 "Transmitting Divinity" Dharma Yoga Studio, Coconut Grove, Miami Florida USA (26/11-11/12).
2009 "Magie du Tibet" Galerie Metanoia, Paris, France (3/4-27/5)
2008 "Light of Compassion" Dharma Studio, Coconut Grove, Miami F. USA (24/5-17/6)
2007 "Karma Phuntsok Art Exhibition" The Gallery in Camberwell, Melbourne Australia (8/6-15/7)
2007 "Lhasa to Kyogle" Roxy Gallery, Kyogle Arts Council, Kyogle NSW Australia (16/1-10/2)
2006 "Art Exhibition in "The Mystic Heart of Tibet" Cultural Festival" Katoomba Civic Centre, Katoomba, Australia (3-8/10)
2006 "Karma Phuntsok Art Exhibition" Project Contemporary ArtSpace, Wollongong, Australia (15-26/2)
2004 "Inner Space II" Reyburn House, Whangarei, New Zealand (3-23 Feb)
2004 "Inner Space" Depot Artspace, Devonport, Auckland, New Zealand (17-30/1)
2003 "Transmigration: Paintings of a Tibetan Artist" Dharma Studio, Coconut Grove, Miami Fl.USA (29/3-26/4)
2002 "Buddha Awakening Art Exhibition" Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, Deorali Gantok Sikkim India (21-24/12)
2002 "Paintings of Karma Phuntsok" Tibetan Festival of Compassion, India Habitat Centre New Delhi, India (12-18/12)
2002 "Transcendental Tibet" Australian Catholic University Gallery, Fitzroy, Melbourne Australia (16/5-2/6)
2001 "Karma Phuntsok Retrospective" Roxy Gallery, Kyogle Arts Council, Kyogle NSW Australia (14/9-10/10)
2001 "Tibet in Australia - Art for Awakening the Heart" at Lismore Regional Art Gallery, Lismore NSW Australia (31/1-4/3)
2000 "Mini Exhibition of Tibetan Art" Bodhicitta Buddhist Centre, Cairns Qld Australia (1-15/7)
2000 "Transcendent Realms" Midori Gallery, Coconut Grove, Miami Fl. USA (18/3-14/4)
1999 "Karma Phuntsok Exhibition" Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville Qld. Australia (16/7-1/8).
1999 "Awakening the Heart Exhibition" at Port Douglas CWA Hall, (11/8-15/8)and at The Tanks, Cairns, Qld Australia (21-29/8)
1999 "Continuum:the paintings of Karma Phuntsok", by AMI at Namgyal Monastery Dharamsala, India (March).
1996 "Sacred Paintings" -Michael Commerford Gallery - Rushcutters Bay, NSW Australia
Group exhibitions.
2013 "National Multicultural Festival" Canberra Australia (8-10/2).
2013 "Festival of Tibet" Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane Australia (30/1-3/2).
2012 "Dario Palermo Refugee Art Exhibition" Uniting Church Sydney (1-5/2); Holroyd City Council Exhibition Space Sydney (1-31/8).
2012 "Festival of Tibet" Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane Australia (1-5/2).
2011 "Nine Pillars". Contemporary Art Studio, Amsterdam Netherlands (opens 17/12)
2011 "Jigyasa". International Centre Goa, Dona Paula, Goa India (5-10/11)
2011 "Tibetan Contemporary Art: Tantric Vision in Modern Self-Expression". Tibet House US, New York NY USA (14/09-15/11)
2011 "Festival of Tibet" Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane Australia (3-5/2).
2010-11 "Time Is With Us" Roxy Gallery, Kyogle Arts Council, Kyogle NSW Australia (14/12-29/01)
2010 "Festival of Tibet" Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane (27-31/1); Sydney (19-21/2); Town Hall, Beaudesert Australia (12-14/5) .
2009 "Tibet Art Now" Tibet Art Gallery in the Temple, Amsterdam, Netherlands, (3/6-5/7)
2009 "Tibet Art Now" Okura Hotel, Amsterdam, Netherlands, (3/6-6/6)
2007 "Classic Art and Sculpture" Artspace, Bangalow NSW Australia (16-27/8).
2007 "The Luminescent Ground" Wollongong City Gallery, NSW Australia (22/6-5/8).
2007 "Buddha 2550 Years The Exhibition" Melbourne Town Hall, Melbourne, Australia (26/2-4/3).
2006 "Mystical Art" Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane, Australia (19-24/9), C & I Hall, Bangalow NSW Australia (25-30/9).
2006 "Karma Phuntsok and Birgitte Hanson" Dharma Studio, Coconut Grove, Miami Fl.USA (6/5-2/6+).
2006 "Visions of Tibet" Bendigo, Victoria Australia (April–June).
2006 "Waves on the Turquoise Lake: Contemporary Expressions of Tibetan Art" CU Art Museum, Boulder CO USA (14/9-20/10).
2005 "Rethinking Tradition: Contemporary Tibetan Artists in the West" Emory U. Visual Arts Gallery, Atlanta USA (28/10-3/12).
2005 "Tibet Art Exhibition" Queen's Hall, Parliament House, Melbourne Australia (14-16/6).
2005 "Old Soul, New Art" Tibet House, New York NY USA (25/2-6/5); ICT, Washington DC (12/5-12/7).
2004 "Tibet in a Red Box" Metro Arts, Main Gallery, Brisbane City, Australia (10-17/3).
2004 "Breath of Tibet: Shangrila in Our Midst" People of the World Gallery, Otago Museum, Dunedin SI New Zealand (March–May).
2003 "Pathway to Enlightenment: Art of Tibet from Australian Collections" Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville Qld Australia (5/9-2/11).
2003 "Isle of Refuge" Ivan Dougherty Gallery UNSW, Sydney, Australia (12/6-19/7)
2003 "The Touring Blake Exhibition" ACU National Gallery, Strathfield Campus, Sydney, Australia (29/5-21/6)
2002-03 "Blake Prize Exhibition" Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Sydney Australia 6/12-26/1)
2002 "Towards a Free Tibet" Span Galler, Melbourne Australia(30/4-4/5)
2001-02 "Blake Prize Exhibition", S H Ervin Gallery, National Trust Centre, Observatory Hill, Sydney.
2001-02 "The Natives Are Friendly" Kyogle Arts Council, Roxy Gallery, Kyogle NSW Australia (23/11-16/1).
2001 Expressions of Faith by Shenpen Australia, Odiyana Centre, Melbourne Australia (16-25/11).
2001 "Buddhas and Bodhisattvas" Parkham Place Gallery Sydney Australia (9/11-?)
2001-02 "Buddha: Radiant Awakening" Art Gallery of NSW Sydney Australia (10/11-24/2).
2001-02 "My Le Thi & Tim Johnson Yab Yum" AGNSW Contemporary projects, Art Gallery of NSW Sydney Australia (10/11-13/1).
2001 "Three Views of Emptiness; Buddhism and the art of Tim Johnson, Lindy Lee and Peter Tyndall" Monash University Museum of Art Melbourne Australia (9/10-24/11).
2001 10/4 "Tibetan Freedom Festival: Survival of the Spirit" at Boggo Rd Gaol, Brisbane Qld Australia
2000 27/10-22/11 "Woghun" by Kyogle Arts Council, Roxy Gallery, Kyogle NSW Australia
1999 27-28/11 "Expressions of Faith" by Dzogchen Shri senha Charitable Society, at Olevano, Vaucluse NSW.
1999 9/9-26/1/2000 "The Third Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art" at Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane Qld Australia
1999 7-15/5/99 "Fine Arts Time in’99" Kyogle Arts Council, Kyogle NSW Australia.
1998 26/11-19/12/98 "Members Exhibition -" Gallery 4A, Sydney NSW.
1998 11-28 Nov. "Tim Johnson & Karma Phuntsok" at Bellas Gallery, Brisbane QLD.
1998-99 "ways of being" - Ivan Dougherty Gallery, University of NSW, Paddington Sydney NSW, touring 1999.
1997 21 June–October. "Inside" International Art Exhibition by Project Group Stoffwechsel, University of Kassel, Germany.
1997 23–31 May. "Art Attack 97" Exhibition by Kyogle Arts Council, Kyogle NSW.
1995 "Tibetan Fair" - Powerhouse Museum, Sydney NSW Australia.
1995 "Arts Alive in '95 -" Kyogle Arts Council - Memorial Hall, Kyogle NSW Australia.
1994 "Postcodes", Arts Council NSW, Sydney then rural circuit May to Dec.
1994 "Kyogle Visual Arts Council Exhibition" - The Chocolate Factory, Lismore NSW Australia.
1994 "North Coast Art Show 1993-94" -The Epicentre, Byron Bay NSW Australia.
1993 "St. Mary's Art Show" - St. Mary's College, Toowoomba QLD Australia (Sept.).
1993 Australian Craft Show, Sydney NSW Australia.
1993 "Tibetan Fair" at Sydney University, Sydney NSW Australia.
1993 Orange Regional Gallery. Exhibited with Tim Johnson.
1993 "Ninth Biennale of Sydney" - Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney NSW Australia.
1993 Mori Gallery, Leichhardt (Sydney) NSW Australia.
1992 "Fairy Mount Festival Exhibition", Memorial Hall, Kyogle NSW Australia.
1992 "Tibetan Carnival"- Sydney University, Sydney NSW Australia.
1992 "The Living Mandala" - Access Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne-Victoria-Australia.
1991 "Art Works for Living" - Memorial Hall, Kyogle NSW Australia.
1991 "Tibetan Fair" - Sydney University, Sydney NSW Australia.
1990 Exhibition "Year of Tibet Exhibition" - Sydney University, Sydney NSW Australia.
1989 "Tibet Himalaya Festival" - Melbourne, Victoria Australia.
1989 "1989 Arts and Craft Exhibition" - Memorial Hall, Kyogle NSW Australia.
1987-1989 Annual "Fairy Mount Art Exhibition", Kyogle NSW Australia.
1989 "Tibetan Carnivale" - Ku-ring-gai Community Art Centre, Roseville, NSW Australia.
1987 "Festival of Tibet" - Melbourne, Victoria Australia.
1987 "Bentleigh Art Exhibition" - Bentleigh Hall, Bentleigh, NSW Australia.
Public collections.
Lowe Art Museum (Miami, USA), Perc Tucker Regional Gallery (Townsville, Australia), Queensland Art Gallery, Melbourne University, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Amnye Machen Institute (Dharamshala, India) Various Buddhist Centres worldwide
Selected bibliography.
Allica, Greer, "Meditation Workbook," David Lovell Publishing, Victoria, Australia, 1990, cover.
Amnye Machen Institute, "Continuum, The Paintings of Karma Phuntsok," Amnye Machen Institute, Dharamshala India, 1999.
Dondrup, Tsering, "A Show to Delight the Masses", "Persimmon", vI, No.3, 2001 Contemporary Asian Culture, New York NY pp. 60–77.
Drury, Nevill and Anna Voigt, "Fire and Shadow": "Spirituality in Contemporary Australian Art", Craftsman House, Roseville East, 1996, pp. 11, 113, 115.
Drury, Nevill and Anna Voigt, "Bringing It All Back" "Home", G+B Arts International, Singapore, #4, 1996, p. 38-43.
Chee, Linda, Lauren Broos and Lisa Slade, "In The Picture: Framing the Visual Arts", Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1995, p. 45-47.
Drury, Nevill", Images 2, Contemporary Australian Painting", Craftsman House, Roseville East, 1994. Plate 157.
Green, Charles, "Tim Johnson", "Art + Text -" No. 46, Sept 1993, Art + Text Pty. Ltd, Paddington, NSW. p. 82.
Guggenheim Foundation, "Antipodean Currents: Ten contemporary Artists from Australia," New York NY, 1995, p. 59.
"La creacion artistica de Karma", "Planeta Humano ," No.12, Feb 1999, Planeta Humano S.L., Madrid, Spain, p. 14.
Lake, D., "Living Mandalas", "Craft Arts International, No. 28, 1993", Craft-Art Pty Ltd, Sydney. pp. 55-57.
Monash University Museum of art. "Three Views of Emptiness; Buddhism and the art of Tim Johnson, Lindy Lee and Peter Tyndall" Catalogue 10/2001 Edition 500 Monash University Museum of Art, Melbourne Australia pp. 12, 13, 23, 29, 30.
"New York Spirit", May 2005, cover.
Park, A., Fox, S.O. and Clarke", S., Beyond Black and White, The many faces of Australia", Portside Ed., Melbourne, 1995. pp. 100-101.
Steiner, M., "Tibetan Artist in Exile", "Simply Living," Vol.3,No.10"," Otter Publications, Terrey Hills NSW. pp. 48-52.
"Thangka Artist Karma Phuntsok", "TAASA Review: The Journal of the Asian Arts Society of Australia," vol. 8, no. 4, Dec 1999, ‘Special issue on Buddhism’, p 23.
"Ways of Being", "Artreach", Summer 1998, Arts Council of New South Wales, p. 29.
Professional activities.
Tuition and courses have been given to many private individuals, communities and Commonwealth Youth Support Schemes, since coming to Australia. Collaborative works (mostly with Tim Johnson since 1992) have appeared in various exhibitions and publications (not listed here).
Links.
About Karma Phuntsok: Gallery Metanoia
Collaboration with Tim Johnson