Gonkar Gyatso is a Tibetan artist who studied traditional Chinese ink-and-brush painting in Beijing and later expanded his art education in London. His work combines traditional Tibetan iconography and Buddhist motifs with contemporary pop culture logos, typography and popular cartoon characters. Gyatso works in drawing, sculpture and, collage, using stickers, some of which he designs and produces himself. His process both embraces and criticizes the homogenizing impact of globalization. While Gyatso’s work may seem playful, the artist is sensitive to rapidly changing times and, especially, the social and political unrest unfolding in the world. As a young man, Gyatso lived in a Tibetan exile community in Dharamsala. This experience deeply informs Gyatso’s view of humanity, politics and art production.

Gonkar Gyatso’s work has been internationally exhibited in galleries and museums, including the Rubin Museum of Art (New York), the Chinese National Art Gallery (Beijing), the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art (Scotland), the Courtauld Institute of Art (London), Burger Collection (Switzerland), the Wereldmuseum Rotterdam (Netherlands), Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art (Australia), and Colorado University Art Museum (USA). He has participated in the 53rd Venice Biennial (Italy), the 6th Asia Pacific Triennial in Brisbane (Australia) and the 17th Sydney Biennale. His work is held in numerous public and private collections around the world. He is also the founder of the Sweet Tea House, which is the first gallery in Europe devoted to contemporary Tibetan art.