Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu:

Switch off your mobile phone and keep your mind away from all the emails waiting at the computer. Oh, and turn off the answering machine and pause your video game please. You can switch on the a/c and put off the fan. This is just a short tour of an exhibition of paintings titled ‘Untitled’. Dreaming up the techno savvy age, Ishwor Gurung is immersed in the post-modernist idealistic technique. “I share a love-hate relationship with machines,” says the artist. This explains a lot of what is to follow. His paintings are propelled by an innovativeness that feeds on machinations. But before we go any further, here’s a quick shot of things that you should know about the artist:

• He’s crazy about good music

• He’s fond of… poor him

• For him, sometimes it’s too painful to go with on with his work… paintings

• Every time he feels sad or depressed, he sits on the potty

•He still loves…

That’s all he’s willing to reveal. An “in-with-the-times” art exhibition, Ishwor defines his territory and breaks free of the conceptions that art is sometimes limited into in our limited circles. There is a lot of blood and violence in his paintings and aliens that sprout wings. All of these have an intense quality that goes with the choice of music that Ishwor has playing at the venue. The venue is NAFA, Bal Mandir, Naxal. You can choose to ‘Turn it over’ or continue. ‘Turn it over’ is the back of a framed canvas on display. Or you can choose to play the game — Option 1 — select — Option 2 — Option 3 — Exit. These are words written all over on the canvas of ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’, a depiction of videogame violence that orchestrates the beat to “Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill”.

A fan of Kenji Yanobe, Ishwor ventures into the Chernobyl region armed with his paint that portrays Yanobe’s crazy bravado attitude. And in moments when all of this gets too much, Ishwor lets his brush dip into random paint boxes. These are improvised to become a structured jazz influence on canvas. Ishwor’s mindscape is varied though and sways from the homicidal detective with ‘Case study of a murdered man’ to a peace enthusiast. Put down this exhibition on your palmtops and digital pads because it definitely must not be missed. Beep!

The exhibition continues till June 29.