In the autumn of 1950, the People’s Republic of China ousted the government of Tibet in a military operation. Before and during this invasion many Tibetans fled their homes. Of these refugees some found a new home in neighboring India and Nepal while others fled further abroad. Tsherin Sherpa is a child of this diaspora. He was born in Kathmandu and became apprenticed to his father at age 13. The traditional Tibetan thangka painter sought to pass the traditional art down to his son.
In 1998, Tsherin left home for America and became a thangka painting teacher and practiced the traditional art for commissions. During this time Tsherin began experimenting with modern art techniques. He would blend holy forms and symbolism with western logos, ideas, and marketing. Through the last couple of decades, Tsherin Sherpa has become a modern artist of some note and has been featured in showings and museums across the globe.
Tsherin Sherpa is an intriguing individual. Like many Tibetans affected by diaspora, his life has been a balancing act between tradition and assimilation. Born in Nepal and coming into his own in America, Tsherin likens himself to a butterfly and uses this theme in his art. While the documentary touches on his life and art, the focus of Above and Below rests on the Triennale art show in 2017 in which Tsherin exhibited his first 3-dimensional art piece.
This short documentary will fascinate students of Tibetan art and culture because it shows the clear intersection of diaspora and artistic expression. Instructors of modern art may be particularly interested in this fascinating expose on Tsherin Sherpa because it can easily fit within a single class period. Students of Buddhism may be interested in Tsherin’s use of symbolism and his symbolic statements on the West’s ideas of divinity through a Buddhist lens. Highly Recommended.
Where does this documentary belong on public library shelves?
Above and Below would fit most comfortably in collections about the Tibetan Diaspora, but would also be an excellent addition to art documentary, biography, and general documentary collections.
What type of film series could use this documentary?
Any documentary series focused on Tibetan Diaspora and Tibetan culture or art should include Above and Below.
What is the retail price and/or Public Performance License fee?
$139
When Artist Tsherin Sherpa came to San Francisco from Kathmandu, Nepal in 1998, he was a religious artist painting sacred Buddhist meditation images. He struggled to find a place for his art in a new land, and wanted to express stories and ideas that went beyond the Buddhist niche. But moving forward meant leaving the art and identity that defined him behind. He had to find a bridge between his tradition and the world he now inhabited. Above and Below follows Tsherin’s remarkable journey over a 19-year period, presenting key moments and artistic milestones that define his personal and career arc. We experience this breakaway artist’s movement from strictly held Buddhist traditions, towards honesty and expression, to international art stardom. In doing so, he finds new meaning for an ancient art form, and establishes a global voice and platform for modern Himalayan art.
Director’s Statement
I was a young filmmaker and Tibetan Buddhist art enthusiast when I met Artist Tsherin Sherpa at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum 20 years ago. I would often troll the galleries, marveling at the complex symbology of Buddhist paintings and sculptures, feeling that the key to life's deepest meaning was somehow hidden therein.
It was during one such visit that I encountered a young artist demonstrating Tibetan thangka painting. I was enthralled by his incandescent imagery and humble manner, and asked him if he would be interested in making a short film. He graciously agreed. In retrospect, I think he was just too kind to say no. He insisted he wasn't all that good, and recommended that I film his father, Urgen Dorje Sherpa, a master thangka painter known throughout Nepal. That began a project which spanned the next nineteen years in which I filmed Tsherin in the United States and his father Urgen Dorje Sherpa in Nepal, gaining rare insight into this ancient art form.
It was an honor to have an intimate look into the lives of these two artistic masters and teachers. I knew in my heart that others would also want to enter the sanctum of Buddhist art through this film. But what started as a film about Tibetan thangka painting and a devout Buddhist artist soon morphed into the story of Tsherin's struggle to find a place for his art in America, and finding his own voice outside the role of a religious painter. His personal transition from Buddhist art to contemporary painting formed the backbone of the first third of the film.
The film could have ended there, but his art kept moving beyond. His modern art caught on. The use of traditional imagery in a modern context, no longer for meditation, but for communication, found resonance with audiences worldwide, as well as with the commercial art world. His path became clear in purpose, brightened by success. His work took off in new directions, taking on a variety of forms, subjects, and mediums. I filmed every few years through the changes, deciding that this story was not quite finished.
In 2017, I returned to Kathmandu to film Tsherin's return to Nepal and the Kathmandu Trienalle art show. This was to be the end of the film, but it turned out to be yet another beginning, of a new and prodigious stage of his art. He reconnected with his family, community and Nepali roots and soon realized that art goes well beyond the canvas.
In early 2021, I got a call from Tsherin, excited about a mid-career retrospective solo show that was being organized by the Virginia Museum Fine Art. He asked if I could have the film ready for this show. I thought to myself - “Alas my venue has come."
A year later, I had finished the rough cut of the film. The film seemed complete. It had reached its apex - it was not just a story about a Buddhist artist, a father-son story, an immigrant story, or even a rags to riches story, though it is all those. It was a story about triumph, about taking one's past, along with its losses and traumas, and transforming it into something strong and beautiful. Thus, wisdom and success are the last notes of the narrative arc of the film. I hope the film extends this message through this story.
- Sheri Brenner-Hall
About The Filmmaker
Sheri Brenner migrated from Philadelphia to study Film and Political Science at UC Berkeley. Her love of Buddhist philosophy and visual arts lead her to produce and direct documentaries on Tibetan sacred arts, Navajo spiritual philosophy, and environmentalism. Her work is dedicated to sharing the traditions, beliefs, and philosophies that inform and strengthen humanity. She holds an MFA in Cinema from San Francisco State University. She currently services as Adjunct Faculty and Media Lab Director at the University of San Francisco.
See additional filmography at: https://aboveandbelowmovie.com/
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Artist Tsherin Sherpa’s remarkable 19-year journey from Tibetan Buddhist Thangka painter to global art superstar.
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“This is a father-son story, reflecting an ancient art form in transition.” - Director Sheri Brenner
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“There are spirits in the mountain, spirits of the water, spirits of the village… I wanted to imagine whatever would happened to those spirits if all the people from that particular village were gone because they have moved on to different places. How would they cope with this new environment?” - Artist Tsherin Sherpa
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“Thangkas are considered to have existed since the time of the Buddha himself. Thangka is the recorded teachings of the Buddha in the form of a painting.” - Artist Tsherin Sherpa
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“This is a father-son story, reflecting an ancient art form in transition.” - Director Sheri Brenner
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"I used to hear this sound in the morning, like somebody's banging on some metal… Took a walk to that place and saw this copper maker. They were making these traditional Buddhist ritual objects. I was fascinated by their skill and details. I designed something for them and which they crafted into copper.” - Tsherin Sherpa
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“The work becomes much more alive when it has an audience and how they interact with the work… What really interests me is how each individual confronts the work and reacts to it." - Tsherin Sherpa
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“Noticing many of the people in the diaspora going thru these experiences, I wanted to express my experience through this artwork and that is how the Spirit Character was developed.” - Tsherin Sherpa
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What I like about it is there are 11 figures. And he has in mind that it's a troop of 12, but that there is a missing figure in that line up. And that missing figure is the person who stands before the painting as the artist working on it. But more interestingly for visitors is that every single person that stands in front of it and looks at it is being invited into that spirited group.” - Curator, John-Henry Rice
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“I was becoming a little numb. An image of enlightenment with a monetary value. Was I doing the practice I was supposed to do when I was painting thangkas? Or was I constantly thinking about how to pay my rent? Almost like the image from Buddha was becoming a commodity.” - Tsherin Sherpa
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“I have never had the opportunity to go to Tibet or see Tibet, you know. But in my mind, I know I’m a Tibetan. So it's a very interesting phenomenon - knowing that you're a Tibetan yet you don't know what Tibet is.” - Tsherin Sherpa
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Screenings
Monterey Art Museum | Monterey, CA | September 9, 2023
Berkeley Art Museum | Berkeley, CA | April 30, 2023
The Rubin Museum | New York, NY | February 18, 2023
Peabody Essex Museum | Salem, MA | February 4, 2023
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts | Richmond, VA | May 19, 2022
Festivals
Tibet International Film Festival | Zurich, Switzerland | July 15, 2022 (Global Premiere)
Big Sound Film Festival | Ontario, Canda | June 2, 2022
SFDocFest | Roxie Theater | May 20, 2022 (Audience Award, Best Short Film)