Who: Sampa Lhundup
Hometown: Nagchu County, Tibet; currently living in Rochester, NY
Carving Styles: Intricately carved religious objects in the Tibetan tradition, as well as freeform sculptures and objects
Training:
- Third generation master woodcarver (his grandfather’s work can still be found in the Potala in Lhasa)
- Six years of training (study and apprenticeship) through the Shachun Woodcraft Center affiliated with the Tibetan Government in Exile in India.
Professional Experience:
- Served as a master in residence at Markham Tibetan Traditional Woodcarving Institute Established a studio in Dharamsala where he employed up to 20 wood artisans and students to help with his commissions.
- Client list included H. H. the Dalai Lama and many well-known Tibetan lamas.
- Currently carves in a shop in Rochester, NY and sells his art work through word of mouth in the Buddhist community or via his website at www.TibetanWoodcarver.com
History: Born into a nomadic family, Lhundup lived in a traditional yak hair tent as a boy. Later, as a young man, he was jailed and tortured by the Chinese and later escaped to India over the mountains at great personal peril. In India he met a Tibetan woman and began a family.
In 2011 Lhundup left for the United States at the invitation of members of the White Lotus Buddhist Center community. His family remains in India as his refugee status has not been finalized (he has a political asylum hearing scheduled for October of this year). He has learned English (a work still in progress) and is working to establish himself as an artist here in the United States so he can bring his family to live with him.