MADE IN CHINA
The Tibetan people in China are not allowed to celebrate the Dalai Lama’s birthday and Chinese authorities have reinforced the ban on pictures of His Holiness. This is why Made in China was created. Without knowing, 16 artists in China painted a piece of the portrait of the Dalai Lama. They were invited to produce ‘abstract’ impressionistic oil paintings, based on photos uploaded onto their websites. Each picture was a part of the portrait, but was rotated and named like ‘Fearless’, ‘More’ and ‘Love’. Together the Chinese painters created an illegal iconic painting, symbolizing peace and unity in many different ways.
“The more you are motivated by love,
the more fearless and free your action will be.”
MADE IN CHINA III
The 16 seemingly random titles form a quotation of the Dalai Lama. Like the old Tibetan thankas the saying is written on the back of the artwork, completing the image and intensifying this universal message. This is the third and last painting in this series.
16 paintings, oil on canvas, 160x120" (300x400cm), 2014
EXHIBITIONS
This large 16-part portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama traveled around, starting in 2014 in the beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam. It has been on display in Zaanstad, Fort Asperen, Zutphen, and Ahoy Rotterdam, where the Dalai Lama held lectures in 2018. A lot of Tibetans and and other fans made selfies with His Holiness. Both days were completely sold out
The project also created awareness through lectures in schools and other locations. A little book was created with background information of the project. Download it here for free:
MADE IN CHINA II - PEACE AND HAPPINESS
Without knowing, artists in China painted the second portrait named like ‘Superficial’, ‘Wish’ and ‘Peace’.
16 paintings, oil on canvas, 63x47" (120x160cm), 2013
“We forget the despite the superficial differences between us, people are equal in their basic wish for peace and happiness”
MADE IN CHINA II - PEACE AND HAPPINESS
The painting was given as a present to His Holiness the Dalai Lama in February, 2015, when he was on tour through Europe, by Brigitte von Bulow, Chair of United Nations for a Free Tibet (UNFFT). Tsering Jampa (director of International Campaign for Tibet) explained to him how the painting was created. The Dalai Lama made a little joke about my red hair and outfit, smiled and said: "Thank you".
He received a small reproduction of the painting at this special occasion. The original artwork was shipped to Dharamsala, Little Tibet, in India, were the Dalai Lame lives in exile since 1959.
MADE IN CHINA
This project started in 2009 when I visited Tibet. There were soldiers all over the place in Lhasa, police on every street corner. Tourists weren’t allowed to travel by themselves. When we tweeted about it from a little restaurant, we received a disturbing phonecall. It felt intimidating. The peaceful Tibetans suffer from the oppression by the China. The idea to create this portrait, painted by Chinese painters in China, came to me not long after the journey, but it took more than three years to find a way to realize it. I didn’t want to jeopardize the China painters. The basic message was to emphasize the nonviolence of the peaceful and friendly Tibetan people.
To find 16 different art studios in China took months and also the production of the paintings. The ‘abstract’ parts of the portrait raised many questions. Some paintings never arrived, and maybe the eyes of the Dalai Lama were recognized? And the art studio decided to stay silent? We will never know.
16 paintings, oil on canvas, 63x47" (120x160cm cm), 2013
This first painting was completed just before the 78th birthday of the Dalai Lama, on July 6, 2013. It was exhibited in Amsterdam and on this birthday we made a protest bike tour from the UN Peace Palace and the Dutch Government to the Chinese Embassy in The Hague to offer a birthday cake, as a friendly gesture. It wasn’t accepted; the gate was closed and police helicopters and state troopers were the welcome party. We had to give our ID’s and were almost arrested. Reuters and more journalists were present and published on tv, radio and newspapers.
PRESS
National Newspaper Trouw, July 5, 2013
The Dalai Lama has been painted in China: in sixteen pieces
Client: I said the eye was my grandpa's, who passed away.
Henny de Lange
Images of the Dalai Lama are banned in China. But still, artist Ine Wallis de Vries made sixteen painting companies create a portrait of the Tibetan leader in exile. The painting is on display in a gallery in Amsterdam, as a symbolic birthday present for the Dalai Lama, who will become 78 years old tomorrow. The artist, working under the name of Airco Caravan, wants to draw attention to the oppressed Tibetan people in China.
She never expected her ruse would succeed, she says. Half a year ago she sent a picture of the Dalai Lama to China, cut into sixteen pieces. The parts were sent to sixteen different studios, asking them to make an 'abstract impressionistic' painting, sized 30 by 40 centimeters. China has countless painting studios specialized in painting family portraits but also masterpieces by Van Gogh and Rembrandt. One by one she received the paintings. Together they form the portrait of the Dalai Lama, 'Made in China'.
But she had to lie a lot. She got phone calls: Why paint just one eye? And why paint a part of an ear? "I had to improvise; I made up the eye belonged to my beloved grandpa who just passed away and I wanted his eye on my wall. The ear was a present for my boyfriend who loves to listen to music. And about the yellow part in the robe, I told the art studio I wanted a painting of a mango."
To minimize the chance of recognition, the artist rotated some of the fragments 90 degrees, so parts of the robe became 'hills or curtains'. One of the studios dispatched a larger painting than 30 x 40 cm. "They thought it had to be inches, and they were disappointed I didn't want a much larger painting for the same price. I told them I had just a small spot on my wall to hang it".
Today the artist will visit the Chinese embassy to present a birthday cake with the assembled portrait of the Dalai Lama. She thinks she will not be welcome, despite reports that Chinese authorities allow Tibetans to openly venerate the Dalai Lama in two provinces. Tomorrow, on the Dalai Lama's birthday, she will cycle through Amsterdam with a large poster of the portrait on a bike.
National newspaper de Volkskrant June 22, 2013
Made in China - 16x Dalai Lama
It is not allowed calling his name. His picture has been banned. And to congratulate him with his 78th birthday is forbidden. Dutch artist Airco Caravan was moved by the harsh Chinese oppression when visiting Tibet. Caravan decided to create a birthday present for the Tibetan leader. In a surprising way. The artist used 16 Dutch companies who offer paintings from photos - family snap shots, pets - painted in China. The portrait of the Dalai Lama was cut into 16 pieces, and sent separately to the Chinese painters as an 'abstract impressionistic' image. Some images were rotated and got strange names. The first image on the third row for example was rotated and titled 'Hills'.The picture on the bottom left was called 'Mango'. The eye was called 'Grandpa'. 'One of the companies called me because it was a strange, incomplete picture' the artist says 'but I told them my grandpa had just passed away and I loved his eyes'. They accepted that. After half a year the Dalai Lama was completed.
MADE IN CHINA III
Installing Made in China at art fair Art in Redlight, Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam, December 2013
16 paintings, oil on canvas, 160x120" (300x400cm), 2014
LHASA, TIBET, 2009
Our eyewitness video of soldiers and police in Lhasa.
