When rockets are painted on thangka—contemporary Bhutanese art.

"My journey from Bhutan to Tennessee in the U.S. is the same path as from ancient times to the modern. I painted what I saw along the way—how many unseen forces exist that human science has not observed or recognized? It is good not to take the self too seriously, for there is always something greater to revere." —Phurba Namgay

These are recent close-ups from an American Vogue photoshoot in Bhutan...  

They showcase a style completely different from traditional Bhutan—undeniable proof that contemporary Bhutan is undergoing a major transformation. It makes one wonder: does such a deeply traditional region also have modern art? That’s how we came across the works of Phurba Namgay...

Bhutanese thangka artist Phurba Namgay has pioneered a groundbreaking new style of Bhutanese art: blending the most ancient thangka traditions with contemporary Western art. Namgay's work remains deeply connected to Bhutanese culture and religious traditions.

Phurba Namgay is a trained Bhutanese Buddhist painter. Born in 1963 in Trongsa, central Bhutan, he was originally destined to become a monk as a child. Under the guidance of his uncle, a lama, he studied Tibetan (Chöke), Buddhist philosophy, and rituals. Displaying unusual artistic talent from a young age, he began formal training in Bhutanese painting at the age of 13 at the Zorig Chusum Institute, the government's traditional arts school in Thimphu, Bhutan's capital. Zorig Chusum means "The 13 Arts."

After eight years of studying the 13 arts at Zorig Chusum, Namgay became an apprentice to a renowned master painter, ultimately becoming a professional artist himself. Over the next eight years, he served as a painter of temple murals and monasteries for the Kingdom of Bhutan. His works can still be found in the magnificent temples of Punakha and Paro Tsang Chuiko.

In 1990, Namgay returned to the Zorig Chusum Institute of Traditional Arts as a thangka painting professor, where he taught until 2001. He now works in his studio in Thimphu with three or four apprentices, who learn to paint thangkas and temple murals while incorporating Namgay's ever-evolving contemporary artistic vision.

Namgay also developed his own unique pigments, using everything from 24-karat gold to natural mineral extracts, and even experimented with making his own brushes. "The finest brushes are made from hair clipped from the ears of yaks in summer," says Namgay. Sometimes, he even collects fur from his own cat. "My brushes are very small, so I don't need much hair. That's why my cat doesn't mind," he adds with a laugh.

Since 2008, Namgay has spent part of each year in the United States. After receiving a fellowship at the Vermont Studio Center, he immersed himself in studying elements of Western art. He strongly identifies with photorealism and hyperrealism in his artistic practice.

His new works combine Buddhist imagery and mythical creatures—dragons, tigers, snow lions, lotuses, and demons—with ordinary pedestrians. Mystical and whimsical images are interpreted in prophetic ways through visual narratives. In one painting, a fierce tiger strides calmly across a pedestrian crosswalk. Namgay explains that in Bhutan, these artistic symbols are everywhere—on houses, building exteriors, rocks, and flags. They contain prayers, Buddhist motifs, mythical animals, and other sacred emblems. These visual elements serve as guides for how Bhutanese people live. For example, the tiger represents protection and power, the lotus symbolizes wisdom and enlightenment, and the windhorse carries prayers galloping into the void... So many symbols, painted in everyday settings, remind people to reflect, granting them the power of awareness, compassion, and the enlightenment of their cultural wisdom.

Today, Namgay's works have been exhibited in New York, Amsterdam, Boulder, Nashville, London, New Delhi, and Copenhagen. They are now part of the permanent collections at the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College, the Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery, the Tennessee State Museum, and the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, as well as private collections across Europe, Asia, Australia, and the United States.

Namgay found his visits to America inspiring and stimulating. While remaining a traditional Buddhist thangka painter, he embraced the creative freedom offered by contemporary Western art. In his new works, he uses these symbols to depict his journey from the Himalayas to the West.

A few years ago, an American friend gave Namgay a book about NASA and the U.S. space program, and he became fascinated by the rockets. Namgay saw American rockets as modern parables, distinct from the "Bhutanese dragons" he grew up with. Interestingly, when Americans first landed on the moon, many in his village didn’t believe it actually happened. "Just like Americans don’t believe in dragons," he said with a laugh. So, between painting traditional thangkas, he incorporated rocket imagery into his creative work, resulting in his "Rocket Series." He has a special fondness for Apollo 13—"because thirteen is my lucky number," he explained, "and in Greek mythology, Apollo is the god of the sun and light." In the "Rocket Series," dragons interact with Apollo 13 as it soars across a thangka-style celestial landscape. A giant lotus launches multiple rockets, and even a Starbucks coffee cup becomes a vessel blasting off into space...

Namgay also explores the ancient and modern worlds through his surrealism series. In these works, he blends traditional Bhutanese elements with contemporary surrealist styles. "Roads, traveling vehicles, dragons, rockets, horsemen, tigers..."—these are the symbolic motifs in Namgay's art. An arrow floats along a cloud-dappled path as if possessing a life of its own. Their combinations linger in the mind like a utopian vision, drifting through the void where East and West converge.

In 2013, Namgay participated in the Jomolhari Snow Leopard Conservation Project. Snow leopards inhabit the Bhutan Himalayas and Tibetan region but are now endangered. His painting "Snow Leopard" was sold to support the conservation initiative...

What is remarkable is that while venturing into the contemporary art world, Namgay continues to paint temple murals and the most traditional thangkas... Rooted in centuries of human artistic tradition, Namgay is also a bold pioneer.

He said: "My journey from Bhutan to Tennessee is the same path as from ancient times to the modern. I painted what I saw along the way. How many unseen forces exist that human science has not observed or recognized? It is good not to take the self too seriously, for there is always something greater to revere."