Feb 23, 2021, 4:30 PM | Wesleyan University | flamesofmyhomeland.org

Exhibition curators Ian Boyden ’95–a visual artist, poet, translator–and William Frucht, Executive Editor for Political Science at Yale University Press, will discuss the lives of Tsering Dorje and Woeser, the intersections of art and politics, and the interpretation of photographs across geographic and cultural distance. Moderated by Andrew Quintman, Associate Professor of Religion and East Asian Studies, Wesleyan University.

Tsering Dorje (1937–1991), a native Tibetan, served as an officer in the People’s Liberation Army. His black and white photographs provide a rare visual record of the violence perpetrated in Tibet during a period of book burnings, political rallies, and public struggle sessions. His daughter, widely known by the single name Woeser, is a poet, essayist, and photographer, and is a leading Tibetan public intellectual in China. Her work ranges from political criticism to reflections on Buddhist belief and practice, and the challenges of inhabiting both Chinese and Tibetan cultural worlds. 

The exhibition incorporates photographs by Tsering Dorje and Woeser, and a set of original collaborative works by Woeser and Ian Boyden ’95, featuring multimedia installations. The exhibition is curated by Boyden, William Frucht, and Associate Professor of Religion and East Asian Studies Andrew Quintman.

Physical exhibition in Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery, Wesleyan University. Feb 24 to April 1, 2021.

A virtual exhibition may be found at flamesofmyhomeland.org.