Contemporary Thanka

A thanka for "One of My Favourite Prayers", a track from the Dalai Lama's Inner World in the colours blue and gold.

A thanka for "The Buddha", a track from the Dalai Lama's Inner World in the colours yellow and purple.

A thanka for "Compassion" a track from the Dalai Lama's Inner World in the colours.

A thanka for "Courage" a track from the Dalai Lama's Inner World in colours pink and turquoise.

A thanka for "Ama La" a track from the Dalai Lama's Inner World in the colours blue and gold.

A thanka for "Healing", a track from the Dalai Lama's Inner World in the colors blue and gold.

A thanka for "Wisdom" a track from the Dalai Lama's Inner World in the colours dark blue orange.

A thanka for "Purification", a track from the Dalai Lama's Inner World in the colors blue and gold.

A thanka for "Protection" a track from the Dalai Lama's Inner World in the colours purple and gold.

A thanka for "Humanity", a track from the Dalai Lama's Inner World in the colours yellow and blue.

A blend of traditional Tibetan and contemporary art, these stunning thankas were created by Ella and Tiffany especially for Inner World, as a contribution to The Dalai Lama's efforts to serve humanity in everyday life.

Ella gained a fine arts degree in painting from Auckland University in 1994. She then qualified as a teacher and taught secondary school for ten years in New Zealand and Britain.

Following investigation of various spiritual paths, Ella discovered Tibetan Buddhism and was immediately attracted by the authenticity and warmth of teachers such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Wishing to merge her creative and spiritual life she went on pilgrimage to Nepal and India and eventually found her art teacher Andy Weber in London. Ella moved to live near Andy in Cumbria, England.

Ella's artwork features in several FPMT Buddhist centers and homes of Buddhist practitioners. She has begun a series of paintings of the Mahamudra Lineage masters for the Mahamudra centre in Colville, Coromandel. Six paintings (out of thirty six!) have been completed due to the kindness of sponsors, including the late Terry Leach who initially asked Ella to paint the masters to fulfil the wishes of Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Ella is currently working on commissions for individuals and Buddhist centers and teaches painting full time at Epsom Girls Grammar.

Tiffany Singh's practice explores the intersectionality of arts, culture, and subjective well-being. Situated within a social practice methodology, sustainable community outreach is a focus for her research and new media installations that delve into memory and inequality. This decade-long process has birthed an inquiry centered on expanding feminist research within the social sciences.

Tiffany's interest in cultural preservation is combined with integrated social discourse, ranging from cottage industry collaborative projects focused on craft and oral tradition to supporting education and outreach mobility. She has worked at scale both in Aotearoa and internationally, most recently with Hmong & Pakistani women's refugee communities in Thailand and the Amis Orchard Women's Weavers of Taiwan.

The aim of Tiffany's research and project inquiry is to suggest a positive impact by exposing audiences to immersive experiences in museums, galleries, and commissioned public spaces whose policies advocate, sustain, and engender social cohesion.

Her practice is informed by Eastern tradition to foster unique art and social impact outcomes.

Introducing a very special collaboration between acclaimed New Zealand artists Ella Brewer — classically trained thanka painter, & award-winning visual artist Tiffany Singh.