Yeshi Pelden Fuses Thangka Geometry with Contemporary Painting at VAST Bhutan
Yeshi Pelden, a Bumthang-based artist from Bhutan, is renowned for his Thangka paintings, which utilize ground mineral pigments on either cotton or silk. His modern interpretation fuses traditional geometric designs and symbolism with his own life experiences, a passion ignited while assisting his painter uncle during a winter break. Pelden received his education at the National Institute for Zorig Chusum (NIZC) and currently serves as a teacher there. He aims to blend traditional and modern art forms to engage a wider audience. His solo exhibition, titled Perseverance, was featured in the Lungta Art Festival 2026 at VAST Bhutan, where My Modern Met editor Eugene Kim was present. Notable pieces include The Path and Paradise, The Mind Within 108 Beads, Wheel of Life, The Third Eye, and Globular Eye.
Key facts
- Yeshi Pelden was born in Bumthang, described as Bhutan's spiritual heartland
- His practice draws on Thangka painting, a Tibetan Buddhist meditative art using ground mineral pigments on cotton or silk
- He began painting while assisting his uncle, a painter, during a winter vacation
- Pelden studied at the National Institute for Zorig Chusum (NIZC) and now teaches painting there
- His solo exhibition Perseverance was held at VAST Bhutan as part of Lungta Art Festival 2026
- My Modern Met editor-in-chief Eugene Kim visited the show on a trip with tour company MyBhutan
- Works include The Path and Paradise, The Mind Within 108 Beads, Wheel of Life, The Third Eye and Globular Eye
- Pelden told the Bhutanese Broadcasting Service that traditional and contemporary art need not be separated
Entities
Artists
- Yeshi Pelden
- Eugene Kim
Institutions
- National Institute for Zorig Chusum
- NIZC
- VAST Bhutan
- Lungta Art Festival
- MyBhutan
- My Modern Met
- Bhutanese Broadcasting Service
Locations
- Bumthang
- Bhutan
- Tibet