The traditional loci of contemporary art have shifted: the postmodern era has witnessed Paris, London, or New York yielding their exclusive status as art centres to other cities, one of which is Kathmandu.
The curators of “Nepal Art Now” at the Weltmuseum Wien thus introduce the exhibition, which presents works ranging from outstanding representatives of the 1950s through to today’s nascent scene of vibrant new artists. Swosti Rajbhandari Kayastha of Nepal Art Council (partner of the exhibition) and Christian Schicklgruber, Director of the museum, curated the exhibition alongside the late historian of South Asian and Himalayan art Dr Dina Bangdel (1963–2017), daughter of acclaimed Nepali artist Lain Singh Bangdel, whose work is included in the show. The curators see the exhibition as a contribution to “an effective resituating of the West’s status within an international context”, while it also offers insights into “how the local, the national and the global interpenetrate”.
Kayastha and Schicklgruber explain in the catalogue foreword how the project attempts to bridge the gap between Nepalese artists and European audiences, with artists themselves explaining their artwork through personally written statements, thus allowing viewers to come closer to the artist’s mind and intention and allowing for a better understanding of their work and background. The works on show are rooted in the cultural tradition of Nepal while also displaying international elements and addressing questions of global concern, from the 2015 earthquake to women’s rights and religion. The curators also point out:
Hit Man Gurung, Sunil Sigdel, Sanjeev Maharjan, Ang Tsherin Sherpa, Asha Dangol and Manish Harijan, along with several among the artists exhibited, refrain from adopting Europe and North America as their points of reference. They tend rather to draw on an international language of art as a means to further develop their respective cultural identities, the ramifications of which are witnessed in the gradual erosion of the Eurocentric perspective in contemporary art.
In his catalogue essay “Nepal Art Now. East, West, World (Art)”, Christian Schicklgruber writes:
When we speak of “contemporary art” in the Nepal Art Now project, this term carries a purely temporal signi cance rather than referring to an artistic genre – it simply means art created over the last fty years. Made in close collaboration with Nepalese artists and art historians, the choice of pictures, sculptures and installations re ects the variety of what could as it were be created on any single given day, ranging from purely abstract works to seemingly naive works in the vernacular tradition. Thus, contemporary art in Nepal cannot be conceived of in the singular; on the contrary, it is marked by multiple modernities.
To make his point, Schicklgruber brings to attention works that draw from Nepalese traditional and spiritual iconography, like Hindu or Buddhist deities portrayed in thirteenth or fourteenth century-style and in Pop Art-style or other contemporary expressions. The artworks on show display the duality of East and West, the influences and inspirations drawn by artists from diverse sources that they have used to transform their own traditions in order to create art that responds to their contemporary needs. The curator goes on to write:
When an interplay emerges in Nepalese contemporary art between an international vocabulary of art and elements of traditional local culture together with global ecological, social and political problems, the term “globalization” pretty soon ends up becoming overstrained. Even though this term is used on the following pages, it should soon be obvious that it ultimately fails to explain anything. The present exhibition is not about globalization’s art, but rather about globalized artists, about individuals taking the initiative, taking what they need to feed their drive to create art.
An example of contemporary artwork that directly comes from the spiritual tradition of Nepal is Rabindra Shakya’s 2017 sculpture of the god Bhairav, who is worshipped for protection in times of distress. The work is engraved with ancient Newar motifs, and as the artist explains in his statement, he created this statue “to preserve the ancient Newar artistic motifs, and in an attempt to make such unique art well-known in the world”. Another scultpure in traditional style is Rajan Shakya’s Padmapani Lokeshvara, or Lotus holder, the Bodhisattva who embodies unceasing compassion. Statues of this kind have been made in Nepal since before the eleventh century. Many other artists in the show also reproduce traditional thangka style paintings, depicting Buddhist tales.
Ang Tsering Sherpa takes traditional motifs and narratives to create more contemporary works that explore the relationship of Tibetan tradition and identity in the 21st century. Shambala and Fly High are two examples of his work that deals with the fragmented culture of the Himalayan diaspora, of which he is part. The two pieces belong to a series that explores this experience by drawing on spirit iconography. In the Himalayas, local spirits are associated with specific geographic regions, their land and people, and they symbolise the collective disposition and identity of its people. Shambhala and Fly High are two of the works from the series. He explains in his statement:
Seen through the lens of the Himalayan diaspora, my work deals both with the preservation and transformation of a scattered culture by bridging the sacred and secular, the historical and the contemporary. As a nomadic people we have learned, over the centu- ries, to adapt to many di erent environments. Bearing in mind this migration, I explore my own experience of identity by experimenting with the deconstruction and abstraction of traditional Himalayan iconography. As cultures intertwine, I seek to determine how a unique essence can be maintained, celebrated, and shared while integrating the bene ts found within new contexts.
Sangeeta Thapa, Founder and Director of Siddharta Art Gallery, Co-founder of the Kathmandu Contemporary Art Centre, and curator of the Kathmandu Triennale 2017, has been active in Nepal’s art scene for over 20 years and for “Nepal Art Now” she wrote an insightful essay, “Transitions in Nepali Contemporary Art”, which details the main events and transformations in Nepali contemporary art history. She writes:
The exhibition Nepal Art Now is a historic milestone for the country as it constitutes the largest ever showing of Nepali art outside the country’s borders, embracing traditional and contemporary paintings and showcasing artworks by the master artisans of Kathmandu Valley. The richness of the exhibition lies in the multiplicity of the forms of expression and narratives that have evolved over the last sixty years. The artists that are represented in this exhibition are at the vanguard of the art scene in Nepal. Their works provide a visual narrative of the development both of Nepali art and of the socio-political scene, while also shedding light on the cultural landscape of a country that only opened its borders to the world just over sixty-seven years ago.
She points out how Nepal’s contemporary art history does not even span a century, and that to understand contemporary artistic expressions, one must revisit the country’s history and to look at the political events that influenced the development of art in Nepal.
In 1951, King Tribhuvan B. B. Shah sided with the movement that established a democracy on the model of Westminster, ousting the 104-year-old Rana oligarchy. Unfortunately, in 1955 he died, and in 1960 his son King Mahendra carried out a coup d’état that dismissed the elected government, imprisoned the Prime Minister and the political leaders, banned political parties and established a “guided democracy” – “Panchayat” – that lasted 30 years. King Mahendra became a patron of the arts, turning them into a tool to celebrate the Shah dynasty and its rule and instil feelings of nationalism in the population. Although this was a time when censorship was ripe, and artists had guidelines to celebrate the royal leader, contemporary art also experienced growth and influences from abroad. In 1962, the Nepal Art Council was founded, and a number of Nepali artists also journeyed abroad at the invitation of embassies and cultural organisations. Thapa writes about the 1960s:
As wave after wave of new artists fresh out of Lalit- kala Academy and from art institutions in India, East Pakistan, France, Russia and the USA arrived on the scene, Kathmandu was awakened out of its enforced cultural isolation. However, this very isolation meant that the traditional arts and crafts of the country had remained undiluted, as had the socio-cultural fabric of society. As a result, religious myths, legends and rituals remained central to the inspiration of this period’s artists, some of whom are included in the exhibition Nepal Art Now: Manuj Babu Mishra, Pramila Giri, Shashi Bikram Shah, Kiran Manandhar, Birendra Pratap Singh and Ragini Upadhyay Grela.
For instance, Shashi Bikram Shah has been faithful to his style and his sources of inspiration since then. An example of his recent work, on show in Wien, is Samudra Manthan, a 2018 painting depicting the war between the Danavs (demons) and Devs (gods).
Gods and demons engaged in a perpetual struggle for the heavenly throne, whereby the gods suffered repeated defeat.
King Mahendra died in 1972, and his son Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev was crowned as his successor in 1975, taking up the role of art patron as well. During this decade, many of the so-called flower children travelled to Nepal, and some local artists saw in them inspiration for their work. Moving away from traditional and religious subjects, artists in this decade made a lasting impression on the Nepalese public, creating works that defied familiarity, all the while still drawing from esoteric tantrism. Sculptors like Thakur Prasad Mainali and Pramila Giri took on separate commissions for public art projects. Giri’s works were the first contemporary works to be exhibited in public spaces. Although apparently abstract and modernist, her sculptures are deeply rooted in Hindu philosophy and the study of esoteric forms.
By the eighties, the original patrons of the arts – the temples and the aristocracy – had been replaced by private galleries, established in response to the need for professionally managed spaces where contemporary Nepali art could be exhibited and marketed. As Thapa explains in her essay, these galleries were directed by artists and entrepreneurs.
In the 1990s, the art scene in Kathmandu was bustling with exhibitions and activities driven by local and visiting artists from the Lalitkala Campus and abroad. Several Nepali artists who had been studying abroad returned to contribute to the art scene. Jyoti Duwadi who resided in the United States travelled to Kathmandu to present his site-specific multimedia installation Myth of the Nagas & Kathmandu Valley Watershed, the first art installation ever presented to the Nepali public. The collaborative work combined art and myth as a means of reviving environmental awareness and cultural identities.
During the same period, Ashmina Ranjit returned from the University of Tasmania, Australia, and held her debut show “Cultural Body”. The artist stressed that culture is like a tattoo, and one cannot avoid it, even when living elsewhere. The result might be a layering of cultures, a view that the artist expressed in an installation focusing on a unique layering of culture, adornment, clothing and the human body. On show in Wien is a recent work entitled Being in a Body (2016-2018), which speaks of adolescence as a time of transition, exploring joy, possibilities, strength, weakness and vulnerability of that period of one’s life, and addressing the social construction of gender and cultural roles.
The historic democracy movement that ended the Panchayat period in 1990 did not do much of what it promised to the people. The needs of the populations were not addressed, and a series of governments succeeded one another, in a string of unsuccessful tenures. Even though the art briefly reflected the hopes of the democratic movement, artists soon reverted to the pessimistic views that the institutionalised corruption inspired. The late artist Manuj Babu Mishra felt Nepal was not ready for democracy, and he demanded a return to a unitary political system with all powers vested in the King. He also announced he would not leave home until the Panchayat system was restored.
In 1996, civil war gripped Nepal for almost a decade, resulting in 17,886 deaths, the maiming and disabling of 8191 persons, and a shocking 1530 disappearances. These tragic times saw the creation of paintings, prints and drawings that commented on the horrific murders, extortions, kidnappings, disappearances and widespread turmoil. Thapa writes that
a number of Nepali artists began to actively use their art as a tool to sensitise a larger audience to important socio-political issues that had befallen the coun- try. The transformation of the artist into an activist – an “artivist” – or an agent for social change was a spontananeous reaction to the times, with the concepts behind the powerful installations and performances being specifically calculated to shock the viewer and appeal for a halt to the carnage that was costing so many thousands of precious lives.
On 1 February 2005, after almost a decade of civil war, King Gyanendra established a new monarchy, accompanied by house arrests of politicians, intellectuals and members of the media and the subsequent limiting of press freedom. The people started protesting for a return to democracy and freedom of expression. In 2007, the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal was established, bringing the rule of the 240-year-old Shah dynasty to an end. Artists now started to address the need for national cultural policies that were socially inclusive. In 2009, the first Kathmandu International Art Festival (KIAF) was held. It was the first theme-based non-commercial contemporary arts festival that addressed critical socio-political issues. The festival explored the status of women as its theme, and introduced new perspectives in art practices to Kathmandu.
In more recent years, new artist organisations have been established, who have as their mission the creation of artworks of social significance, like ArTree Nepal, who claim it “creates artworks that have social signi cance and utility. ArTree projects explore a multitude of identities, cultures, and dynamics …”.
Many younger artists now still draw inspiration from traditional religious iconography and symbolism while addressing cultural and socio-political questions, such as the status of women, identity, corruption, human trafficking, migration, the environment, politics, war, the celebration and loss of heritage, and the search for spirituality in the growing chaos of urban space that has swallowed up fertile farmlands and destroyed the socio-cultural fabric of a society that not so long ago was steeped in agriculture. Three examples in this context are the works of Asha Dangol, Sanjeev Maharjan or Anil Shahi. Maharjan’s photographs taken while roaming the city capture details and facets of Kathmandu that are otherwise overlooked on postcard images, most of which are of Kumari, Durbar Square, portraits, festivals, World Heritage sites and mountains. His images mix scenes of contemporary life with traditional and spirirual symbols, omnipresent in Nepal’s landscape.
Anil Shahi’s Don’t Make Me Laugh series draws from the iconography and narratives of Hindy mythology. Shahi explains in his statement:
My series of works hold up a mirror to society and to the fake smiles of clown-like, delusional souls. Drawing on the iconic images and narratives of Hindu mythology, my paintings depict the character of those who seek their shadow in the moonlight. One character, for example, poses like Muhammad Ali, another one rips open his chest like the Hindu god Hanuman to reveal a three-eyed joker with a halo. … My canvases narrate the stories of those numb and lost souls around us. Souls forced to be the clowns of their own making, bound to put on a permanent show, no matter the cost. I have portrayed those souls who have learned to bow down to a hollow and counterfeit play of emotions, and who laugh their well-rehearsed laugh while taking a path of darkness others have foisted upon them.
A major event that has shook the art world and inspired much recent artistic creation is the 2015 earthquakes. On 25 April and 12 May 2015, two devastating earthquakes killed 9,000 people and destroyed homes, heritage monuments, temples, monasteries, schools and cultural institu- tions. Patan Museum, Bhakatpaur Museum, Chhauni Museum, the Nepal Academy of Fine Art and the Living Traditions Museum were all damaged by the earthquake. Thapa writes in the essay:
Nepali artists brought relief and respite to local communities through art therapy sessions and community outreach programmes. The body of work that evolved from these traumatic years embraces the belief that the artist has socio-political responsibilities and can indeed bring about change. Another interesting development is the movement of artists out of the white cube of the gallery and their use of art as a humane compas- sionate medium to respond to local calamities and challenges. This development has seen poignant stories of loss and survival being sensitively translated into artworks.
Hit Man Gurung’s We Are at War Without Enemies, from the series “This is My Home My Land and My Country” is dedicated to the survivors of the two earthquakes who lost loved ones and their homes in the 2015 earthquake, as the artist writes in his statement. The figure depicted with a bandaged face is carrying damaged photographs of his house. Although his loss was eligible, as many others, for the government-sponsored relief fund, the fund was not easily accessible to those without political power. Gurung created the work as a critical commentary on the hypocrisy of the Nepalese government, as well as the behaviour of those involved in the rebuilding and resettlement process.
The artist Sheelasha Rajbhandari was very active after the catastrophic earthquake of 2015 in taking art as ther- apy for both children and adults into the devastated villages, encouraging traumatized victims of the earthquake to process and come to terms with what they had experienced by creating their own art. She once described her motivation for making art, as Schicklgruber quotes her: “Art also comes as a responsibility to me – it becomes a medium to observe and to be observed, to communicate and express, to judge and criticize, to make satire and improvise, or simply to heal others and be healed.” Rajbhandari’s work on show in Wien, entitled Agony of the New Bed from the series “Marriage Taboos”, is an example of her social responsibility as an artist. She writes in her statement:
This artwork centres on the familiar, yet often ignored reality of gender discrimination and the taboos inherent in the institution of marriage. The series of portraits, re-appropriated on cotton mattresses and placed on small marital beds are a collection of visual stories about women living in different parts of Nepal. In the traditional conventions governing marriage in Nepal, as in many other countries, ownership of a daughter is transferred from father to husband. Brides are socially obliged to relinquish their identity before adopting that of their husbands’, to abandon their family home, their maiden name and to adopt that of their husband, whereby the same is not expected of men. This practice has contributed to the preference of sons over daughters, as daughters are expected to move into to the other’s place, while sons perpetuate the family lineage.
The artist goes on to reveal more obscure details about the fate of brides in Nepal, who have to become subservient and loyal to their husband’s family. They not only care for the family, but also have to contribute to its income. Moreover, marital rape and domestic violence are not uncommon, and women have no power over their reproductive rights. More than 41 percent of women under 18 are forced to marry, and many brides develop mental health problems, like depression, anxiety disorders, and suicidal tendencies. Rajbhandari’s work attempts to bring attention to the problem, raise awareness and perhaps help foster change, while highlighting the experience of women who resist their fate, as she reveals:
Despite these challenges women have resisted, developed mechanisms to cope with the problems and fought in their own way against injustices. My work reflects the stories of such rebels.
The more than 130-work-strong exhibition including paintings, sculptures, video art and installations by some 40 Nepalese artists, spanning from modernist works of the 1950s to the present, will remain in the history of Nepalese contemporary art as an international landmark show. “Nepal Art Now” represents an attempt to push Nepali contemporary art onto the global stage without offering a view of it through Western constructs. The show looks at the the socio-political turn in the work of Nepali artists, and at questions relating to the construction of cultural identities in a globalised world, giving importance to the local perspective. Thapa concludes in her essay about the state of Nepali contemporary art and its international reception today:
There is no doubt that Nepali art is finally receiving the international attention it so greatly deserves. The strength of Nepali art lies in the richness of its historic traditions continuing to find its expression today and in the narratives of contemporary artists who are using their art to highlight the travails and triumphs of the global socio-political discourse. The need to work in tandem with local and international cultural organizations also plays a significant role in generating activities that support young Nepali artists from all ethnic backgrounds. This process has led to new ideas for social change being presented through the visual and performing arts. However, it is essential that in the quest for modernity the very essence of Nepali culture should not be sacrificed.
C. A. Xuân Mai Ardia
“Nepal Art Now” is on view from 11 April to 6 November 2019 at Weltmuseum Wien, Austria.