'As the Mind Wishes' : Tibetans' Contemporary Art Exhibition begins in McLeodganj

McLeodganj (Himachal Pradesh) [India], October 26 (ANI): Khadhok - A Tibetan Artists' Collective initiative has opened its third annual group exhibition, - As the Mind Wishes on Saturday evening near the main Tibetan Temple in McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala.

This year's exhibition draws inspiration from the compassionate teachings of the 14th Dalai Lama about humanity and deep interconnectedness. Guided by this theme, 22 Tibetan artists from around the world-including Karma Phuntsok, Sonam Dolma Brauen, Monsal Pekar, Tashi Nyima and emerging voices like Dolkar Angotsang and Rabten Tenzin-explore the vision of oneness in a divided world, expressing what it means to hold compassion, memory, and hope within the gaze of the mind.

Since its founding in 2023, Khadhok has become a vital space for Tibetan contemporary art and dialogue. Following its recent recognition with the Rubin Art Prize 2025, the collective continues to support emerging artists and foster creative exchange across generations.
Tashi Nyima, the organiser, told ANI, "We have started this exhibition from the 25th of October to the 9th of November, and the title is as the mind wishes, which is the English translation of the Tibetan name of his holiness the Dalai Lama. The ultimate goal is oneness amongst humanity looking at the current situation around the world like there are conflicts, there are wars happening around the world and this might be a good chance to talk about this kind of situations and here our Tibetan artists will also tell their stories about Tibetan people... whenever we tell our stories or we are putting up our point of view, people always ask more about it so it helps us to raise awareness about the cause of Tibet as well... We have more than 50 artworks displayed here, which is about 22 artists' artwork, and at present, we have 14 artists present here."

Jen, a visitor from Poland, told ANI, "I am here to enjoy Tibetan contemporary art. This artist collective Khadhok, a group of 22 Tibetan artists presenting a fresh and new take on Tibetan art and this whole event represents the idea of oneness, so I really rejoice being here and see that Tibetans are creating art, how creative they are and how beautiful and free they are in expressing themselves."
Rinchen Dorjee, another visitor, told ANI, "It's an art exhibition initiated by Khadhok and the theme of the exhibition is 'as the mind wishes'. The artist were given full freedom to express their artwork and it is amazing to be here. Many of the artist are of Tibetan origin, and they are telling different stories through their art, like being in exile, living on a foreign soil, and I am feeling overwhelmed".
Sonam Yeshi, an artist, told ANI, "Khadhok is a young team to bring the artists together; it is the second year of this exhibition, and I have chosen to participate in it. It brings artists from the diaspora all together, and it's a kind of nice place that allows artists to express their feelings and show their art, and it's really nice to have this kind of event here in Dharamshala... My artwork series is about my visit to Tibet and the kind of nomadic regions that I was in, and it's an inspiration to go back to my roots, and I did three series". (ANI)