Kathmandu

Talents from Pokhara resonate in the galleries of Nepal Art Council, Babermahal with their colourful and beautiful works.

The first floor of the gallery features collage works under the title ‘My Creative Approach’ by Kaskelee aka Baburam Bastakoti in his first solo art exhibition.

Kaskelee, 50, sustains his life as an art teacher and sells sculptures at his home town Pokhara. It took him three years to complete the 21 works featured in this exhibition.

The works on display are collages made from colourful pieces of cloth and threads.

And these collages showcase different things — traditional houses lined-up on both sides of a narrow alley, where people are walking, people working in rice field and enjoying playing with mud during Asar 15, an elderly couple, man in daura suruwal and woman in red sari with golden ornaments, among others.

Once Kaskelee was bedridden due to a heart problem and he underwent bypass surgery. When he woke up after the surgery Kaskelee recalls, “I felt like I had woken up to do something new, to utilise my life to create something that has never been seen before.”

After that, he meditated everyday and constantly focused on “doing something that is new”. And one day, an idea struck him — “to create artwork without using brush or colour”.

And Kaskelee’s works on display in the exhibition have not used brush or colour, though they can fool you to think, they are paintings, created using colours or brush, if observed from a distance. Upon close examination, you will realise the difference and also notice the artist’s play with light and shadow using cloth pieces in varied colours. Both realistic and abstract, the artworks are stunning.

His exhibition began on May 17 and continues till May 21.

Meanwhile, the ground floor of the gallery features a group art exhibition ‘Pokhara in Watercolour’, that began on May 20 and continues till May 22.

The exhibition features paintings of renowned artists Durga Baral (Batsayan) and Buddhi Gurung.

It also displays works of artists Lok Prasad Gurung, Bishwo Raj Parajuli, Surya Baraili and Padam Ghale. These self-taught artists are also known as artists from ‘Pokhara School of Water Colour.’

Beautiful landscapes, cityscapes and remote areas have become the motifs of the artists. These landscapes and cityscapes are not confined only to Pokhara but also depict Kathmandu, Birgunj, Mustang and others.

Batsayan  in ‘City Scape Kalanki’ has created busy road with vehicles, hoarding boards and mushrooming concrete houses surrounded by hills.

Baraili in ‘Busy Ason Chowk’ has created a luminous Ason Chowk under the golden coloured street lamp, during night time where people are — shopping, walking, talking, etcetera.

Each artist’s 10 paintings are on display in the exhibition, that shows the dedication and creativity of these self-taught artists, who have created their mark with medium of water colour.