Prison for Printmakers

Imagine the police arriving at your studio to arrest you for making a woodblock print of your national flag. That’s what happened to Paljor Norbu, an 81 year old Tibetan printmaker last October.

The Chinese occupation of Tibet is obviously sinking to new depths to protect their illegal control of Tibet. It’s not enough to kill protesting Tibetan monks, the Chinese oligarchy deems it necessary to imprison old men as practicing artists who dare to challenge those who have imprisoned an entire culture.

Here’s a quote from the Tibet watchdog site;

“A descendant of a family with a long history of printing and publishing Buddhist texts for monasteries, Norbu is an internationally renowned master printer. He used both modern and traditional woodblock printing techniques in his workshop, which employed several dozen workers. In addition to religious texts, the shop printed prayer flags, folk reproductions, books, leaflets, and traditional literature.

After Norbu’s arrest, the police closed his shop, affixed notices of official closure on the door, and prohibited employees from returning. The police also confiscated books and woodblocks from the shop’s collection.” – tibetcustom.com

Related posts:

1. Dad rides the paddy wagon
2. Art and the Police
3. Riverside Artsfest ~ 2010
4. A Wonderful Legacy & Exhibit
5. Relief Printing on an Etching Press