Ken Silver Wants You To Free Tibet, Or At Least Look At It

[Image via Tibet House]

Being fans of creature comforts (and loathe to travel the tour-guided trail), Tibet has never ranked all that high on my list of dream destinations. My recalcitrance is not, however, indicative of disinterest; the very little I know of Tibet -that it is isolated, dramatically gorgeous, mountainous and barren, that its people are oppressed and shunned by a foreign government towards which they feel no kinship, and that the recent installation of a high-speed train has resulted in an influx of trampling visitors, make me want to know more. Now, thanks to the photographer Ken Silver and East Hampton's Walk Tall Gallery, I can. Silver's photos of Tibet, which focus on the rural Tibetans and their land, seem to encapsulate what Tibet really is, proud, unyielding, and harshly beautiful. The exhibition opens today, and the opening reception will be held Saturday, from 5-9. In addition to the photos, the Indo-Tibetan expert Robert Thurman will be reading from his upcoming book, Why the Dalai Lama Matters, on June 12th. Both events are free and open to the public.