In his introduction to the Marg issue on Nepal conceived under the rubric of "Nostalgia and Modernity", editor Deepak Shimkhada informs us, "Since the time of the Malla Kings (1200-1769), the Kathmandu valley has been essentially urban, with its three major cities of Kantipur, Lalitpur and Bhadgaon (Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur). But it is surrounded in large part by a rural setting whose artistic expressions were moulded by agriculture." When we landed in the Kathmandu valley, our observation was quite similar. Resting in a secure valley surrounded by hills of Shivapuri, Phulchowki, Nagarjun and Chandragiri on the four sides sides, Kathmandu is one of the "most developed and populated places in Nepal" (Wikipedia). It has been an important economic hub since it lies at the cross roads of Himalayan trade routes.
Landing in Nepal, one is reminded of the potency of a land that is yet to embrace modernity completely. With low key buildings and a thriving street life culture, Kathmandu is active and ready to take on new developments. For example, over the last year, the city-wide water pipeline project has kept the city disturbed. Filled in dusty haze due to the dug up roads for this infrastructural project, vehicles and people navigated the place in masks covering their nostrils. In addition, projects for road widening and repairs after the earthquake are ongoing at several places within and outside the city.
Artist Studio Visits:
Over our trip to Nepal, Riyas and I visited several artist studios, groups and institutions and attempted to understand the art scene in Nepal. Our key point of contact was Nepali cultural enthusiast Sangeeta Thapa, also the owner of the Siddhartha Art Gallery in Kathmandu - a space that has actively foregrounded young talent with a lot of enthusiasm and care in the country over the last two decades. Several other people helped us move around, amongst whom were Roshan Mishra, the Director of Taragaon Museum and artist Hitman Gurung, one of the founder of the artist group Artree.
Artists from the valley share a deep sense of camaraderie with each other and share a supportive bond. We observed how the studio space of Hitman Gurung and Sheelasha Rajbhandari- that is an extension to their own house becomes a shared space for exhibiting and working for several artists on different occasions. Over our visit, the duo arranged to invite many young practitioners of art together at their studio over an evening cup of tea and snacks.
Seeing through the artist works, we found the common themes of personal histories & identity, migration and human trafficking surfacing time and again. Several art practitioners are grappling with continuing oral historical narratives into their contemporary times by archiving photographs and recording stories in the form of text. Since Nepal does not produce several secondary and tertiary goods for itself, a lot of people often opt to leave the country to find work. The stories of longing and travel, migration and distance fuel much of the contemporary artistic production. On the other hand, the imported goods have set a process of consumerism which is another aspect that has recently come to re-question the constitution of indigenous Nepali culture.
The earthquake of 2015 is an important aspect that reappears as a theme in the artists' works. While some artists have developed distinct visual languages to record the post-earthquake landscape within their works, others have become more sensitive towards political apathy and invested in concern towards their national heritage. We met, and got to know of a few artists who lost their family members in the catastrophe, but have channeled their energies productively into creating more sensitive art. On a completely different note, an artist informed us how the earthquake caused a lot of physical trauma and people don't really want to talk about it.
The political restiveness of Nepal over the last decade where the country has transitioned from monarchy to democracy to a republic have created an upheavel in the present everyday of the place. For a long time, Nepal continued to remain under monarchy that was understood as one of the key problems in the development of Nepal and coming to terms with the modern day world. Feudal practices of monarchy still allowed exploitation and created a situation where a medieval Nepal lived in the modern world. Around 2005-07, the country undergoes a political transformation through People's movements where already existing major parties come together to formt he new republic of Nepal and join for election. There were about seven to eight parties believing in leftist philosophy, Hitman briefly explained, all of whom have now merged in the Armed forces. Now, there is a demand for a new Constitution of the country that shall include the rights of all kinds of people who live in Nepal.
The above political shifts have caused a number of civil wars and disturbances in the country leading to a lot of human and infrastructural loss. Artists, in some cases, are trying to mediate the situation and preserve histories of places that are run down and destroyed in such events.
Nepal is known for its metal sculptures. The process of making brass sculptures is being practised in Nepal since the 1st century AD. The lost wax technique for casting brass sculptures is being used in Nepal since the 6th century AD. It is understood that Nepalese master craftsmen went to China to share their knowledge of brass moulding and casting techniques. Ironically, now, China is mass producing the works with the same technique and exporting it back to Nepal at cheaper prices. This has severely affected the livelihoods of traditional Nepali craftsmen. It has become hard to find brass craftsmen in Nepal. Tejesh Man Shakya's father, has been a mastercraftsman and teacher of sculpture at the University for long. However, the number of students enrolling for the sculpture program are dropping. Sculptor Tejesh Man Shakya informed us that there were only two enrollments in the program over the last year. This year, the university is considering removing the programme completely from the art school.
Over our discussion, Tejesh showed us the ancient scripts written possibly in Sanskrit, explaining the codified ways of working with metal. These books have been preserved over generations by the artists, who however, doesnot really know how to decipher the text. The quantity and quality of brass sculptures available for purchase in the markets of Nepal tell us that the craftsmen are able to produced highly skilled metal work inspite of it being mass produced. The workmanship of even smaller works is high, which talks about the proficiency and expertise of these artists. Nepal may be one of the few places where such traditional techniques of making such brass work are still practiced, Ms. Thapa suggested.
Our visit to the workshop of large scale brass sculpture manufacturer opened us to the magnanimity of scale that these craftsmen can achieve. About eleven storey high (110 feet or more) brass sculptures have been erected by the craftsmen of Nepal - hollow brass statues shaped to complex forms supported through an internal steel scaffold designed by a team of structural engineers. Such feats collapse boundaries of art and architecture and bring us to re imagine the potential of what human mind can still achieve. Often, such large works are made with no real requirement for elaborate drawings. Rather, they are estimated in scale by basic visual understanding and wisdom gained through years of practice, transferred from one hand to the next.
On the last day, we made visits to the National Arts Council in Nepal that was hosting young artists' work (along with the folk and veteran painters' works) as well as the School of Art and School of Education at the Kathmandu University. The intention was to understand the state of Institutions and the art infrastructure available in the country. While there are substantial veteran artists in Nepal practicing the traditional Newari and Thangka paintings with Buddhist and Hindu subjects influenced from neighbouring regions of Tibet, China, and Buddhist culture in India; we found a lot of contemporary expressions the subjects of whom however require nourishment. The energy of the students at the School of Art in Kathmandu university was fantastic. The sheer rigour and the work produced with the support of the young faculty -those who were themselves practicing along with their full time teaching commitments - was enthusing. The openness extended to students to experiment in different mediums of expression and the scale at which the final year students were executing their works was encouraging. One could see how much the place would benefit from a wider exposure and exchange with the world. All institutions, in general demand for more infrastructural support from it's government. However, given the recent physical state of affairs in the country, Nepal may need to restrategize how it would balance it cultural and infrastructural needs. The post earthquake landscape needs to be resurrected, for tourism was one of the important contributors for Nepali economy.
In this regard, the recent
Kathmandu Triennale, originally the KIAF (Kathmandu International Arts Festival) was recently initiated earlier over this year. With the inclusion of artists from world over, the festival drew the much needed attention, however, the general feeling amongst some artists we met was that the three-year cycle is a long one to wait for. Artistic mediations are urgent for a post-calamity and politically transforming Nepal. The country will certainly benefit from stronger curators and collaborations with countries across in the eventual years. It is here that our visit found it's true intent. It was clear that the "Young Subcontinent" project must work towards building such relationships and support young artists who look forward to building a new Nepal. Through the support of Serendipity Arts Trust, the project aims to facilitate these artists to create works that will help them assert their artistic capacities and come into dialogue with other young artists around them.
Another important dimension opened up over this visit was 'travel as an act of pedagogy'. The numerous intellectual exchanges between the Curator and the young artists foregrounded the Nepali artists' eagerness and receptivity to feedback and dialogue on their ongoing work. Riyas spent considerable time in patiently listening to artists and responding with articulate comments that would help them sharpen their ideas, at the same time (re)position their works within contemporary world order. Sometimes operating in and out of the feudal order, an external viewpoint allowed artists to test their own voices and stand points. In this process, the 'traveling teacher' becomes an integral instrument of change - one that catalyses the intellectual environment within the secure space of the artist - where he/she may feel comfortable and confident to express their ideas much freely. It may be important for us to consider the potential of such a method of art education. Perhaps the project will find new things, thus, along the way.
