Amalgam: Where Nepali artists have converged

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: The art sphere of Nepal and the horizons that Nepali artists have displayed at Amalgam 2012, a painting exhibition that began on July 23 at Siddhartha Art Gallery, Babermahal Revisited, definitely excites the observers.

As the title suggests, the exhibition is a true amalgamation of 26 Nepali artists — eminent Nepali artists, graduates from Mumbai, Varanasi, China, Nepal’s first batch of MFA graduates from Tribhuvan University (TU) and BFA graduates from Kathmandu University Centre for Art and Design. One can explore variations in the nature of work being showcased in this exhibition.

Most creations have a story to tell , be it a personal expression for a peaceful society like in Shanker Son Shrestha’s two paintings ‘Discovery of the Self I’ and ‘Discovery of Self II’, or the socio-political situation presented in Hit Man Gurung’s ‘Mom Has A Tragic Story’. Shrestha and Gurung are Nepal’s first batch of MFA graduates from TU.

In Shrestha’s ‘Discovery of Self I’ he has portrayed himself in green with a peaceful expression (eyes closed) at the bottom of the painting where the background has different layers starting with light brown, blue and pink colour. There are white pigeons flying and a few fishes swimming.

“Fish symbolises greediness and society is greedy for money. The painting is a reflection of my experiences while living in a society where I have tried to find peace. But people are running after money and peace is nowhere to be seen,” he says.

Gurung’s ‘Mom...’ is a reinterpretation of Michelangelo’s ‘Pieta’. Like the way the Virgin is carrying the dead body of Jesus in her lap in Pieta, Gurung’s mother is shown carrying the dead body of her son. And in that body, Gurung has photos of people who died in Nepal’s 12-year civil war using photo collage. Gurung’s mother represents all mothers who lost their sons in the war. Meanwhile, Gurung’s own picture forms the background pattern of the painting.

About the repetitive patterns in the background he shares, “It is like reinforcing what happened during the civil war.”

One can see natural, religious, cultural as well as satirical work created using mixed media, oil on canvas, etching, gouache, pen and ink.

Dr Dina Bangdel, artist/professor expressed, “For me, art is like history which reflects moments that we live in and sometimes we have lived in. This exhibition has become a platform for interaction and getting inspiration and exposure where the artist from different educational institutes having different mode of works are in one space.” The exhibition is on till August 6.