First Windsor, Ont. then World Cup: Globally recognized Tibetan artist brings sacred art to the city

Lama Tashi Norbu. (Sanjay Maru/CTV News Windsor)

Before taking his work to a gala connected to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a globally recognized Tibetan artist is spending more than a week sharing sacred traditions with Windsor, Ont. audiences.

Lama Tashi Norbu is presenting The Art of Awakening: Compassion in Action Through Tibetan Arts and Sacred Tattoo at Shō Art Studios in Walkerville until June 28.

The exhibition and workshops combine traditional Tibetan painting, meditation, chanting, sand mandalas, ceremonial body art, music, and storytelling.

“I’m coming all the way from the Himalayas,” Norbu said.

“For the last several decades, I’ve been travelling in Europe [and] the U.S., and then finally found Canada here — exploring Canada with art and spirituality.”

Norbu is known for combining traditional Tibetan Buddhist imagery with contemporary art and performance.

He previously worked as a thangka painter at the residence of the 14th Dalai Lama and later studied contemporary art in Belgium.

“I use the canvas [to] create the images of the Buddha, the traditional Tibetan art,” he said.

“I have studied Western fine art and combined the two.”

Norbu said his goal is to preserve Tibetan culture while giving viewers a sense of reflection and calm.

“I hope whenever people look at my paintings, they feel peace,” he said.

“An inner kind of peace, an inner journey that happens within them.”

Norbu has exhibited and performed internationally, including at Carnegie Hall in New York. He also founded the Museum of Contemporary Tibetan Art in the Netherlands and said some of the pieces displayed in Windsor came from its collection.

According to Norbu’s social media tour announcement, he is scheduled to travel to Miami on July 18 for a FIFA World Cup gala.

Miami is hosting seven matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Hard Rock Stadium. The tournament ends the very next day on July 19.

His work also supports seven girls in Bodh Gaya, India, who he said had been begging on the street before being placed in school.

A short film documenting the initiative, Bodh Gaya Children: Forgotten Girls, was recently screened during the Cannes festival period.

Organizers say proceeds from the Windsor activities will support girls’ education and efforts to preserve Tibetan culture.

Norbu is also offering sacred tattoo sessions using Tibetan script and personalized Buddhist mantras.

The Windsor program concludes with the dismantling of a sacred sand mandala, symbolizing impermanence and the temporary nature of material things.

Shō Art Studios is located at 628 Monmouth Road.