Pin drop silence: Eleven-headed Avalokiteshvara
Tenzing Rigdol’s figure of Avalokiteshvara stands in a radiant mandorla, burning with the light of his enlightenment, while his eleven heads comment on realms of knowledge and simultaneous realization. His primary hands are held in veneration (anjali-mudra). Iconographically this makes direct reference to Shadakshari Lokesvara and, by extension, to the Dalai Lama, who is understood to be an incarnation of Avalokitesvara. Texts associated with the veneration of this deity are interspersed in the composition. Surrounding the central figure is a background that is structured in a way that refers to both thangka underdrawings and to the design structure of Tibetan carpets. The similarity to carpet design is also evident in the use of graphic, flat color.
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