Tenzin Mingyur Paldron
Tenzin Mingyur Paldron | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1984 New Delhi, India |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Evergreen State College (BA) University of California, Berkeley (PhD) |
| Thesis | Tibet, China, and the United States: Self-immolation and the limits of understanding (2021) |
Tenzin Mingyur Paldron (Tibetan: བསྟན་འཛིན་མི་འགྱུར་དཔལ་སྒྲོན, Wylie: bstan 'dzin mi 'gyur dpal sgron; born 1984), also known as Doc Tenzin, is a Tibetan artist, focused on issues of LGBTQ persons and sexual violence within the Tibetan diaspora.
Early life and education
Tenzin Mingyur Paldron was born as a refugee in New Delhi, India, in 1984.[1]
He attended Seattle Central Community College before receiving his Bachelor of Arts from Evergreen State College, and his Doctor of Philosophy in rhetoric from UC Berkeley in the United States.[1]
In 2011, Paldron co-authored a bill proposed by the Berkeley City Council recognizing self-immolation protests by Tibetans in China as a response to Chinese Government oppression.[2][3]
Career
Paldron's work is focused on issues of LGBTQ persons and sexual violence within the Tibetan diaspora.[4][5]
He often explores fluidity of gender, including in a 2024 video commission titled "Power, Masculinity and Mindfulness" and displayed in the "Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now" exhibit at the Rubin Museum of Art.[6][7][8]
2025 censorship by China
In July 2025, Paldron's work was featured in the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) exhibit "Constellation of Complicity: Visualising the Global Machinery of Authoritarian Solidarity", including a video of Tibetans carrying Palestinian flags, and a film titled "Listen to Indigenous People".[9] Following a visit to the exhibit by officials from the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, the Embassy officials demanded the removal of Paldron's work from the exhibit.[10][11] The BACC complied, leading to condemnation by the human rights and art communities, including Maya Wang, associate China director at Human Rights Watch.[12][13][14]
References
- ^ a b "2022 Writing as Activism Fellowship". PEN America. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ "Recognizing the Sacrifice by Tibetans of Self-Immolation in Reaction to China's Extreme Repression of the Tibetan People and Nation" (PDF). web.archive.org. 31 January 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ Thomas, Gautham (20 September 2012). "Tibetans hold candlelight vigil in Downtown Berkeley". www.dailycal.org. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ "Tenzin Mingyur Paldron (he/they)". Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ TibetTV (27 October 2018). (EP-11) "In Conversation With Tibet TV". Retrieved 9 August 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ Online, T. H. T. (20 January 2024). "Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now exhibition with 32 artists opens March 15 in New York". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ "'Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now' and its distinct narratives at Wrightwood 659". www.stirpad.com. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ Doc Tenzin (19 June 2024). The Gentle Buddha Who Cuts Through Ignorance and Duality (Coming Out Trans to My Father). Retrieved 9 August 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Constellation of Complicity: Visualising the Global Machinery of Authoritarian Solidarity". Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ Mcpherson, Poppy; Wesshasartar, Napat; Wesshasartar, Napat (8 August 2025). "Exclusive: Thai gallery removes China-focused artworks after 'pressure' from Beijing". Reuters. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ "Bangkok Art & Culture Centre censors works following visit from Chinese officials". artreview.com. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ Farfan, Isa (8 August 2025). "Thai Art Center Censors Exhibition After "Pressure" From China". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ https://x.com/wang_maya/status/1953964190315483224
- ^ "Because I don't Want Thailand to become a Chinese Vassal State, I Must Record This: Chinese Embassy Censoring BACC Art Exhibition in Bangkok". 10 August 2025. Retrieved 11 August 2025.