Tibetan Thangka Art Museum

Two years ago we were approached by the largest holder of Tangkha art collection in the world. They asked if we were ready to study for a museum project in Tibet. We have the ambition to reconcile modernity and tradition. For this we took an initiatory journey to know and understand Thangka art, local culture, in its expressions of volumetric and architectural composition. We spent time in a monastery, exchanged with monks, listened to the countless stories, their chanting and had the privilege of watching them practice their art of Thangka and Mandala. The project was intended to be an example of how local culture, traditions, and modernity could be in perfect harmony and we think we have succeeded in finding the right equilibrium. The building is deeply connected to Lhasa culture; following the inclined walls traditions, the monastery’s composition of volumes. The detail created by the wooden panels makes the light play differently throughout the day, creating a relief of more or less marked horizontal lines, similar to the shadows highlighting the facades of Tibetan houses. We designed this museum to promote learning and meditation. The work of light and the scenography are designed to sublimate the century-old paintings, which will serve as inspiration and testimony for future generations. The project is organized in two paths - the external one, which takes up the path of the Tibetan monastery, a climb between the different volumes, which recalls the ascent of the mountain, to lead to the high square, where During the “Sho Dun” festival, you can admire a large Thangka suspended against the tower. - the other interior, which organizes the exhibition spaces and the objects on display following the path of the believer in search of enlightenment. The museum itinerary was designed in collaboration with the curator and a local monk. The use of natural light as an architectural component has guided the design of the spaces. Zenithal light, claustra and fissures occasionally pierce the walls and roofs of the exhibition halls. For the decorative elements we used wood (not very present locally), gold leaf and all the typical colors of the Buddhist religion: "Tibetan blue", the most common color in Tibet, yellow (ochre or gold), the color of the body of the Buddha, red, adorns Tibetans with magical virtues. Several key elements of the project were made in bronze, a sacred material, a symbol of prosperity, spiritual abundance and respect. Local artists also intervened for the creation of sculptures and paintings on wood. Traditional motifs have inspired the designs of some details, such as the top of the entrance gate, the railings, the cloisters, the sunscreens. We used pressed clay, a local ancestral technique, to create the floor of the exhibition spaces. On the path, the windows open framing the view towards the mountain. In the showrooms we have worked on zenith windows that allow a filtered flow of natural light.