Overall - image provided by exhibitor, not for public use

Self Plugging Ears

Series TitleDaily doodles, 2001-2023

Artist Gonkar Gyatso (Tibetan, born 1961)

DateFebruary 21, 2019

MediumPencil, ink, stickers, paper cut-out on fine art paper

DimensionsFramed: 12 × 13 1/4 × 2 inches (30.48 × 33.66 × 5.08 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust through the generosity of the Foyer Foundation and the George H. and Elizabeth O. Davis Fund

Object number2025.29.12

On View

Not on view

Terms

DescriptionThis piece is a self-portrait of Gonkar. His eyes are closed, and his fingers are in his ears. He is dressed in a pink jacket over a yellow shirt and yellow, round-lensed glasses. He has a small, red “X” across his forehead. The background is filled with a variety of stickers and phrases in Chinese, many of which are for brands, dish names, and internet memes.

Text:
The number “86” is a listing of the air quality.

The red text on the left reads, “Let the revolutionary flame of our red gene get inherited from generation to generation.”

The various smaller texts read (from left to right):
“Spicy Sichuan-style cucumber salad.”
“Bai Family's Spicy Pork Intestine Rice Noodles”,
”The Great Wall Dry Red Wine”,
“Special Area”,
”Wong Lo Kat,” the name of a famous Chinese tea brand, and ”Keep Distance”.

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