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Anonymous: Contemporary Tibetan Art
Anonymous is an art exhibition that was on display at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art in New York City from July 20 - December 15, 2013, featuring over 50 works of art by 27 Tibetan artists who live in different countries around the world. . The exhibition focuses on issues of identity and self-expression in modern Tibet. Traditional Tibetan art followed a formal system of art making that was used to spread Tibetan religious culture. However, in 1950, the People's Republic of China gained sovereignty over Tibet while still granting autonomy to the area. This changed the social reality of life in Tibet, and modern Tibetan artists use their work as a mode of self-expression and exploration of their new, complex national identity. Contemporary Tibetan artwork often conflicts with traditional artwork commissioned for religious purposes, and identity was largely tied to place, family lines, Tibetan language, and Tibetan Buddhism, with art serving as the transmission of the religion. However, Tibetan art after 1950 raises questions of how globalization effects national and cultural identity, the conflict between tradition and modernity, and the influence of religion in a more secular age.