Kathmandu:

Ten women artists from Nepal and three from Denmark have joined hands for a project to debate issues regarding equality of women in society through contemporary art in public places. The first part of the yearlong project ‘Female Hero- Her story’, a five-day workshop at Jyamirkot on Valley’s fringes, concluded on December 22 with all the artists showcasing their visual arts they made during their workshop.

The Danish artists belong to ‘Women Down the Pub’ (WDP) — a feminist artists’ group in Denmark. Lasanaa, an attempt by artists and art-lovers to create an alternative space to mainstream society, organised the event jointly with WDP.

The women through the visual art tried to highlight various issues advocating equality for women in society. The need to look at ordinary private gender issues as being political one was also highlighted. Some artists pa-inted the mountains as seen from the workshop location and gave them names of noted female personalities. Another performance showed a woman enacting a mermaid tearing the skin of leaves draping her legs to shreds and running free and happy.

“The country is trying to move towards Loktantra, which can bear fruit only if women get equal treatment in society. By debating issues relating to women equality in public spaces, we hope to play a role to bring about that change,” said the event coordinator Asmina Ranjit, who also led the Nepali women artists.

“It’s all about having an inclusive, pluralistic society, “ shared the Danish participants Nynne Hougaard and her friends Lisa Strombeck and Andrea Geuz. They added, “In Nepal, one may think Denmark as being very developed, but there too women always have to keep struggling to get equality.”