Passion and Purpose: Buddhas, Rockets, and the Road Less Travelled
Nestled on the slopes of Bhutan’s Trongsa district, the quiet village of Chendipji looks much the same as it did sixty years ago—stone houses, terraced fields, and its iconic Nepali-style stupa with the Buddha’s eyes gazing out in all four directions. But for one of its sons, Phurba Namgay, life has been anything but static. From monk-in-training to master painter to rocket-obsessed contemporary artist, Namgay’s journey has been a story of passion, reinvention, and purpose.
What was your childhood in Chendipji like?
I was born in 1964 in Chendipji, a place that still feels untouched by time. As a boy, I studied under my uncle, a lama, learning Buddhist philosophy, dharma, ritual practices, and the Tibetan script known as Choki—alongside my regular schoolwork. But I also had a habit of drawing dragons, flowers, and all kinds of imagined creatures in the dirt with a stick. My uncle saw that I had a gift for art. By age thirteen, I was sent to Thimphu to study at the newly founded Institute for Zorig Chusum, where Bhutan’s thirteen traditional crafts are taught.
How did your training at Institute of Zorig Chusum shape you as an artist?
It started with rimo, a meditative style of drawing sacred Buddhist imagery—flowers, birds, mountains, Buddhas—where every proportion matters. In Buddhist art, perfection isn’t just aesthetic, it’s spiritual. I practised for years, drawing on slate with chalk dust until my lines were flawless. Then came the craftwork: making mineral paints, stretching canvas, creating brushes from bamboo and animal hair, mixing gold with glue or lavender seeds, and burnishing with an agate stone. These centuries-old methods haven’t changed much in Bhutan, and they taught me patience, discipline, and respect for tradition.
What was it like transitioning from student to master painter?
After eight years of training, I became an apprentice painter, working on temple murals at places like Punakha Dzong and Paro Tsang Chuiko. Eight years later, I returned to the Institute of Zorig Chusum as a lopen—a master painter and teacher of thangka painting.
Your art took a surprising turn after meeting your wife. How did that happen?
While teaching, I met my future wife, Linda Leaming—an American English teacher at the institute and author of Married to Bhutan. We married and travelled widely—to the US, India, Thailand, and Europe—visiting art galleries and museums everywhere we went. One night in the US, I saw a Sotheby’s catalogue with a minimalist painting by Agnes Martin that had sold for $14 million. My mind was blown. It challenged everything I thought I knew about art’s value and meaning.
How did American culture influence your style?
Driving in the US was an adventure—Bhutan doesn’t have road signs like “STOP” or “YIELD.” But our buildings are covered in dragons, guardian deities, phalluses, and lotuses. I began blending American road signs with Bhutanese religious iconography—a tiger on a crosswalk, Buddha heads on fire lanes, even Hummers driving out of clouds with Buddhas inside. My first piece sold at a show in Nashville, and The Rubin Foundation in New York bought works for their collection, encouraging me to keep pushing in that direction.
Where do rockets come into your story?
As a boy, my Indian teacher told us about Americans landing on the moon in Apollo 11. For me, rockets were like dragons—magical, maybe real, maybe not, but unforgettable. Years later, visiting the Smithsonian and the Huntsville Space and Rocket Center in Alabama, I saw those rockets up close. It was a childhood dream realised. I began painting rockets with traditional Buddhist symbolism—rockets launching from a lotus, rockets hatching dragons, rockets bursting from a steaming Starbucks cup. For me, they symbolise transcendence, prosperity, and long life.
How do you balance tradition and experimentation in your work?
I still paint traditional thangkas, but between big commissions, I work on my rocket series. It’s become wildly popular with visitors to Bhutan. My passion is in finding ways to let these two worlds—ancient tradition and modern imagination—coexist on the same canvas.
Where can people see your work now?
From September to November this year, you can see Phurba Namgay: Buddhas and Rockets at the National Museum in Paro, on the ground floor of the gallery building. And if you drop by, there’s a good chance I’ll be there—possibly with a rocket-powered cup of coffee in hand.
For more information, check out Phurba Namgay's website at www.phurbanamgay.com.
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Lopen Phurba Namgay will present his first major solo exhibition, “Buddhas and Rockets,” at the National Museum of Bhutan in Paro from September to November 2025. The show will showcase his mastery of traditional thangka painting alongside his playful contemporary works, where sacred Buddhist imagery meets Apollo-era rockets and modern icons.
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This interview is part of the Passion and Purpose series where we shine a spotlight on the extraordinary individuals shaping Bhutan’s industries and communities across the different industries. Each feature explores the unique journeys, challenges, and achievements of professionals across diverse fields—tourism, arts, entrepreneurship, and more. Through heartfelt stories, we uncover what fuels their dedication and how they contribute to preserving Bhutan’s heritage, sustainability, and Gross National Happiness ethos.
