Narrating history through devotional art

Jigme Tamang Mugum’s artworks at Gallery 108 show the lineage of Karmapas and their forebears as a visual cosmology.

Stepping into Gallery 108 for ‘Karmapa Gyüpa’, one is immediately struck by a palpable reverence. Unlike conventional exhibitions where bright white walls feature artworks, the space is enveloped in darkness, pierced only by the luminous presence of Thangka paintings. The subdued atmosphere, supported by resonant background chants, makes the room feel more like a sanctum than a gallery. For a moment, the visitor is transported into a monastery, yet what unfolds before the eyes is not ritual alone but an orchestrated visual journey through one of the most influential lineages in Himalayan Buddhism—the Karma Kagyu.