Himalayan Beauty and the Beast: Twin Artists from Bhutan
Music was also the beginning of The Twinz' artistic journey, but they later became fascinated by European painters including Rembrandt and studied fine arts in college.
They have a lot of favorite painters, "especially from the Renaissance period, such as Baroque, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, and Rubens."
Rembrandt
The Twinz draw inspiration from Buddhist traditions, consciousness, psychedelia, warrior spirit, shamanism, material culture of Bhutan (painting, sculpture, temples) and intangible cultural heritage (knowledge, wisdom and skill) as their creative themes. They combine traditional and modern brushstrokes to express their understanding and views on these themes.
As they put it, "Our inspiration comes from traditional Bhutanese art, but our paintings are filled with Western contemporary styles."
Female Warrior
With innate talent and perseverance, in 2017, The Twinz held their first art exhibition themed "Warriors", inspired by a chapter in the book "The Sacred Path of the Warrior" by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
"The core of our creation is the human being, symbolizing the warrior within each person. When we realize the 'primordial goodness' within ourselves or awaken our true nature, we become warriors, able to overcome the obstacles of the physical and spiritual aspects of mundane life."
"Warrior Sisters of the Vajra Guardians" is inspired by the Long Life Five Sisters, who are the disciples of the accomplished master Milarepa's Dakini. They have vowed to protect the Buddha Dharma and are widely worshipped in Bhutan and the Himalayan region.
The artwork portrays the warrior forms of the five sisters, each wearing a circular metal pendant with different animal motifs on their chests, representing their respective mounts. The blue male deer and pink female deer at the bottom symbolize skillful means and wisdom.
In Buddhism, the jaguar symbolizes the transcendence from ignorance to wisdom. The woman in the picture is a warrior, empowered by the jaguar to fearlessly overcome obstacles in life, confident and clear-minded.
Women's wisdom.
In 2018, The Twinz held their second art exhibition, with the creations mainly inspired by shamanism, Vajrayana Buddhism, and as a tribute to the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. King Wangchuck has a passion for art and has been a strong supporter of the arts and artists in Bhutan.
"Buddhism understands concepts such as mind nature, non-duality, and the two truths through wisdom and skillful means. Although worldly people like us cannot truly comprehend these concepts, we still try to express our limited understanding by using symbolic representations."
Tam character holder
"Inspiration of Compassion" is one of the dances of the Vajrasattva, but the scene depicted is one of tranquility. The dance represents the victory after struggling against evil forces.
The female figure in the painting is in a state of compassionate meditation, praying for all beings to have eternal peace. The round golden pendant on her chest is inscribed with the syllable "Tam," symbolizing the goddess Tara. The drum represents the Buddhist connections, and the drumstick symbolizes compassionate methods, as the sound of the drum can eliminate the suffering of samsara and lead to liberation with just one strike.
The two red wrathful masks on the sides represent her warrior spirits, always ready to defeat any obstacles. The blue lotus, mushrooms, and two mythical beasts symbolize a transformation or transcendence of perception of reality.
Legend has it that Guru Rinpoche once rode a deer or transformed into one, and through the dance, he subdued the spirits of the earth. The female figure in the painting is the dancer, with a circular pendant on her chest symbolizing nondualistic mind, and victory banners representing triumph over all evils.
In order to eliminate the lingering thoughts in their minds, their past teacher transforms into a wrathful deity, guiding them with discipline, courage, and faith to correctly embark on the path of enlightenment, and warning them that enlightenment cannot be achieved through meditation alone. The wrathful deity's right hand points towards the sky, symbolizing transcendence or enlightenment, while the left hand represents discipline and methods of liberation; the wolf protects them, helping to defeat physical or spiritual obstacles.
"real" elephant
In addition to female portraits, The Twinz have also created a series of paintings based on traditional Tibetan spiritual symbols, blending multiple modern artistic styles, such as "Harmony Four Auspices", "Six Longevity Figures", and the Four Auspicious Animals (Tiger, Lion, Garuda, Dragon).
In 2020, they represented Bhutan at the Dubai Expo themed "Opportunity", showcasing these three paintings.
"Animal elements are a feature of our artwork, such as the elephant in 'Harmony of the Four Auspicious Beasts', which may look realistic at first glance, but the flat design eliminates its realism, which is quite interesting."
Paintings with texture.
With their identity as twins and unique yet captivating paintings, The Twinz have gained fame in the contemporary art scene of Bhutan in recent years.
Asha Kama Wangdi, the father of modern art in Bhutan, says: "The Twinz represent a contemporary, realistic, and heartfelt expression. I admire their skills and their serious attitude towards art."
They are exceptionally talented, spiritual, kind, humble, and hardworking. It can be said that they have already changed the art scene in Bhutan. Looking at their wonderful paintings, I told them, 'Share your art with the outside world, because they are so beautiful, unique, and captivating.'"
"Our Desires"
Zaxi and Wujian are two exceptionally talented twin artists, whose lives are closely intertwined with their art. As they put it, "We rarely speak in ordinary life, and painting serves as our voice through which we can express our inner thoughts."
In addition to collaborating on daily art projects, they also engage in other fun activities such as illustrating children's books, hiking in the mountains, and assisting their mother with her gardening business.
Their dream is to hold a solo art exhibition in Europe, "especially at the Saatchi Art Gallery in London, that way our wish would come true," they said.
They have two bodies, but one soul.
2 comments
Where do I find the prices and dimensions of the works shown on your website. I saw several pieces at the Paro airport and looked your work up online. Thanks.
Where do I find the prices and dimensions of the works shown on your website. I saw several pieces at the Paro airport and looked your work up online. Thanks.