Thanka, 40ºC
installation; velvet, threads, turned-off fluorescent lamps
240 x 140 x 4 cm
2021
Stretched between two deactivated fluorescent lamps, the velvet cloth refers to Tibetan thanka (i.e. flat painting). The central part of them is usually taken up by a mandala, the image of the chosen buddha or demon, depending on what is currently being meditated on. Thanka can be hung in temples or private homes. Discoloration on the fabric occured due to the exposition to the sunlight. Yellow ochre is the first pigment known to humans. In Buddhism, gold is the colour of the earth, wisdom and balance. The temperature in the title of the work emphasises the rate of ice melting in Himalayas.
Discoloration on the fabric surface was caused by fading due to the effects of light. Gradients of alternating yellow or golden stripes resemble the technique of applying paint with a broad brush.
The adjacent work Faded Velvet, painted with ochre on Finnish cardboard, reflects the pattern of stripes visible in Thanka, 40 °C, just in a small scale.
installation view from "Glare" exhibition
Contemorary Museum Wrocław (PL), 2022
photos: Małgorzata Kujda, Kama Sokolnicka
