Nobody completely understands the breadth and depth of our art which has developed over centuries. It takes more than a lifetime to achieve complete knowledge of an artistic heritage which is an amalgamation of religious philosophy, figurative symbols, metaphoric concepts and even subconscious outpourings. Paubha is not just simply painting of a deity that follows iconography and elemental requirements. Paubha can consume every molecule of an artist, especially for a great master like<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Buzz-the-art,671"> Lok Chitrakar</a>. He dives deep into our ancient art practices of traditional paubha, dabbles in issue-based paubha with realism and impressionism, and is also experimenting with contemporising paubha with abstract forms. Our gods and goddesses are all figments of someone’s imagination. Ever wondered about the state of mind and emotional ecstasy of the first paubha painter? How did they render on canvas the compassion of a Green Tara, or the innate power of Lokeswor? We can assume it was a combination of philosophical understanding, fervent religious belief and also a strong subconscious outpouring. As he comprehends the challenges of having to express philosophy through figures Lok Chitrakar agrees that our traditional art too began as abstract. The subconscious plays a big a role when the artist has to imagine forms, expressions, colours, and movement of a deity who will evoke a powerful spiritual fervour. Moreover, it has to be visually stunning with intricate details. A dual talent of metaphorical and conventional skills and a sacred power of making the intangible, visible. Today Wassily Condensky’s or Picasso’s forms and figures are used as the basis of abstract drawings by artists all over the world. Similarly, our traditional art too had a foundation of abstract notions that was given continuity and thus became traditional. Through centuries, many contributed to its greater evolution in style, design, and methods. Lok Chitrakar is a 21st-century master of preserving tradition, letting artistic styles evolve and revolutionise.  <figure><img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230324070340_115233d0eb71e3e42062b32651d140b8196f654da32991135cabbf138d76169a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20230324070340_115233d0eb71e3e42062b32651d140b8196f654da32991135cabbf138d76169a" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1500" loading="lazy" alt="lok chitrakar"><figcaption>Lok Chitrakar. Photo: MoNA.</figcaption></figure>  During his early days, there was limited information on paubha protocol as documentation was poor and ancient texts were not researched and translated. He went into great lengths to study the early texts of iconography including Buddhist and Hindu theology and to understand the philosophy behind the concepts. Thus, Lok Chitrakar’s art is not just about continuation of age-old techniques, but a homage to the talent of unknown ancient artists -- to revive it, and leave an indelible mark by preserving it for ages to come. Understanding the depths of its philosophy so well, he breathes life into realistic, spiritual and abstract art forms. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/sacred-survival">Paubha art</a> is the spiritual power of giving visibility to the deity one worships. An imaginative force of creative energy that brings the abstraction of god to life. A refined paubha artist like Lok Chitrakar has the ability to embody the presence and divine qualities of a deity. Says Chitrakar: “Let people look at my paintings and let them forget themselves for a moment. Let it be a divine calling for them.” Viewer may or may not get a calling, but they can see that divinity resides in those artists who have the power of making the unseen, seen. <h2>HEVAJRA MANDALA </h2>  <figure><img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230324070344_717a96401d8a08f77c745db0e4418f01d0c1231c21b6164664671bb0287674e0.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20230324070344_717a96401d8a08f77c745db0e4418f01d0c1231c21b6164664671bb0287674e0" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1186" loading="lazy" alt="hevraja mandala"><figcaption>'Hevajra Mandala', (Artist’s Collection), mineral colour on cotton canvas, 56.5 x 44.5in, work in progress</figcaption></figure>  The greatest example of Lok Chitrakar’s artistic magnanimity is the Hevajra Mandala which has taken him 25 years, and is not yet complete. What drives an individual to assiduously work on a canvas for 25 years? How do you define such passion and dedication? It took 15 years for Da Vinci to complete 'Mona Lisa' and three years for 'The Last Supper'. It took four years for Michelangelo to finish painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and two years for Botticelli’s 'Birth of Venus'. The world’s most famous and expensive art has been completed in less time, but Lok Chitrakar is still envisioning and studying the scriptures of Hevajra, a 500,000-verse tantric text of the Sakya order of Tibetan Buddhism that originated in the 8th century. The text converted to images in a mandala form is a lifetime of study. The philosophy of the Hevajra is about the impermanence of all phenomena which the artist has been studying since the 90s. He cannot complete it until he personally experiences all its teachings, he explains. Many of the lessons learned within the span of 25 years has been painstakingly imbibed, and he continues to work on it as he ages and understands the philosophy further. <h2>CHINTAMANI LOKESHWOR </h2>  <figure><img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230324070348_a1158b100e1a9836221c25f1b761663a41edb6b4186d4cbec06f873ad3cc64ad.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20230324070348_a1158b100e1a9836221c25f1b761663a41edb6b4186d4cbec06f873ad3cc64ad" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1603" loading="lazy" alt="chintamani lokeshwar"><figcaption>'Chintamani Lokeshwor', (Private Collection), Mineral on canvas (gold), 26 x 33in, 2005(Photo: Ashish Dhakal)</figcaption></figure>  Sometime in the 1980s, a 16th century art piece Chintamani Lokeshwor was stolen from Itum Bahal, and its whereabouts is unknown. Chitrakar would often go to study this paubha and he was terribly distressed by the loss of the national treasure. Based on the memory of what he saw, he was so inspired to paint this stolen masterpiece that he completed seven of them -- each one better than the previous. In doing so, he invented a new technique, which adds a transparent, almost reflective touch around the aura and shawl. Such was his determination to create the best version of the long lost paubha that his last one is beautiful beyond description. The painting intricately depicts Chintamani and his consort generously giving donations. It took Chitrakar 10 years to complete the piece and the final parts were done during the time he was taking care of his ailing mother. Chintamani Lokeshwor is the Bodhisattva of altruistic compassion and his life situation then was similar to the philosophy. He felt blessed to be serving his mother compassionately during her last days. <h2>TARA </h2>  <figure><img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230324070348_37778c6a9e18f15f53eee60a23f0f3da3456de02761f95fb5b4008292b375634.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20230324070348_37778c6a9e18f15f53eee60a23f0f3da3456de02761f95fb5b4008292b375634" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1221" loading="lazy" alt="tara"><figcaption>'Tara', (Private Collection), Mineral colours with lapis, malachite, gold, silver, 2016</figcaption></figure>  This Tara is inspired by the 12th century Nepali artist Arniko which is an inspiration to most paubha artists. Lok Chitrakar does not just admire him, he beautified the classic painting and gave it his unique creative touch by going a step further and applying lapis and malachite mixed paint. He wanted to show the rich skills of the Newa school of paubha and our unique paint mixtures. He learned the art of mixing lapis in Japan and bought 15 grams of high-quality lapis for $300 especially for this painting. This is the first time in the history of paubha painting that lapis, malachite, gold, and silver mixtures have been used. Chitrakar added gold and silver mixtures in the deity’s jewellery and the green background is the purest lapis and malachite mix; a paint technique only familiar to him -- no other paubha artists have dared. <h2>RAKTA GANESH </h2>  <figure><img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230324070348_3beb1a30d44917ee666a912f0ac24ad839564ed90af11fe0597323539f8ffcd8.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20230324070348_3beb1a30d44917ee666a912f0ac24ad839564ed90af11fe0597323539f8ffcd8" data-rendition-name="original" width="857" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="rakta ganesh"><figcaption>'Rakta Ganesh', (Artist’s Collection), mineral on canvas, lapis, indigo mix. 65 x 72.5in, 2020</figcaption></figure>  Lok Chitrakar has painted many forms of Ganesh but the most striking one is of Maha Rakta Ganesh, the red Ganesh which took him 16 years to complete. The inspiration is to bring to light the extraordinary talent of Jiva Ram, a less known Nepali artist of the 15th century who went to Tibet and mastered its artistic styles. In the 16 years it took to complete this piece, the canvas was eaten by termites, but Chitrakar continued to paint on it as a symbolic mark -- the holes can be still seen. As always, he added his own unique touches like the women holding the Asthamangal, a message of women empowerment within a strong representation of the male embodiment of Ganesh. The painting was completed during lockdown and he was so absorbed in it to emulate the artistic spirit of Jiva Ram that the turmoil of the Covid days didn’t affect him at all. <h2>CONTEMPORARY CHAKRASAMVARA </h2>  <figure><img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230324070352_c5e21c3c2a6b93bd752a381a6a8088d390ba1a0a3629d215e8bc9c39ab7bcac6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20230324070352_c5e21c3c2a6b93bd752a381a6a8088d390ba1a0a3629d215e8bc9c39ab7bcac6" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="401" loading="lazy" alt="'Contemporary Chakrasamvara'"><figcaption>'Contemporary Chakrasamvara', (Artist’s Collection), mineral on canvas, 2017</figcaption></figure>  Though Chitrakar is not completely satisfied with his abstract version of Chakrasamvara, the piece signifies a revolution in Nepali art. It is a unique artistic attempt to merge the traditional and the modern. Chakrasamvara means an absolute state of an enlightened, or awakened mind. Chitrakar portrays this in a contemporary manner: blending hand gestures, symbols and deities, it’s a striking splurge of spontaneity and protocol on canvas. Those who do not understand this tantric philosophy may be lost, but for those who do, it is a delight to analyse the art from a mixed perspective. Lok Chitrakar: Solo Exhibition 26 March – 26 April 2023 Museum of Nepali Art, Thamel Shaguni Singh Sakya is Director, KGH Group and Museum of Nepali Art (MoNA).

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Five Decades of Lok Chitrakar

<figure><img width="2419" height="1613" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720c8b9c7e80680e0b7877jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Krishna Bhakta Dangol, "What makes us fight", Acrylic on terracotta. All Photos: MONIKA DEUPALA.</figcaption></figure>There is a widely circulated image of King Gyanendra taken at his <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/if-birendra-was-alive-nepal-would-still-be-a-monarchy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">post-royal massacre</a> coronation in 2001. The golden throne is visibly aged, chipping at the base. Gyanendra is sombre as he looks ahead under the crown, his hands clasped, his left leg resting upon the red velvet hassock.Perhaps it is to do with the camera or the weather,  but the image looks cooler, taken during a pre-monsoon rain.A rendition of the same image looms large in the gallery at Yala Maya Kendra in Patan, where an exhibition of traditional and contemporary art titled Kholo 25 is underway.  <figure><img width="6720" height="4480" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720c8e9c7e80680e0b7878jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>But this one is a starkly different image. To begin with, it is not a photograph. Artist Kailash K Shrestha’s enormous acrylic on canvas shows a king sitting on the coronation throne, but sans face, sans hands.The famous crown of the Shah kings of Nepal hangs in the air, heavy, unsure. Who will grab it next?The painting is also aptly titled Occurrence before Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal – words that once were so full of promise, now reduced to being the punchline of a disillusioned joke, a mere vanishing act.The painting invites a more abstract reading. A viewer’s eyes shift from one point to another as there is no face and no immediately recognisable human trait.Faces and names have been pared off to reveal <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/nepal-from-royal-to-republic,3736" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">an institution of glittering crowns and thrones</a> – a statement on <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-rudderless-political-leadership/">the nature of power</a> and the meaning of monarchy itself. <img width="6720" height="4480" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720c929c7e80680e0b7879jpeg.jpg" alt="">Curated by Ujen Norbu Gurung, Kholo 25 brings 22 artists working in Nepal to address the shifting tides, perception and faith in Nepali society and politics.The exhibition is named after the Mani-kholo, prayer wheels in Buddhist shrines, to symbolise cycles of time, thought, experience and growth, and to expand the dictionary of creativity and expression.A collateral event with <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/redefining-art-at-kathmandu-triennale-2077/">the ongoing Kathmandu Triennale 2077</a>, the exhibition showcases 14 young and rising Nepali artists alongside eight established and senior ones, also highlighting the significance of helping launch younger artists in the current climate of Nepali art.  <figure><img width="2822" height="1882" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720c969c7e80680e0b787ajpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Kishor Jyoti’s Clash of the class is a semi-mythical painting that looks like a panel from the Mahabharat, if not for the leopard-headed naked torso attached to another robotic body.It is a fitting companion to Kailash Shrestha’s work, showing the battle between the elite and the working-class, as the middle-class tries to referee, or even join in. An andromorphic jackal (wolf?) snarls from a golden chariot, brandishing a whip over its head. There is a dog in the middle, also barking at the leopard. It is a ferocious work, loud and violent. One can almost hear the growling tension and the thundering sky behind. Moreover, on the opposite wall is the true horror: a real clash of arms and ideologies, suffered by the Nepali people whose loss and grief continues to be unaccounted for. Photographs from the 2007 book <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=13243#.YiTX8ftBzOQ">A People War</a> curated by Kunda Dixit taken during the Maoist insurgency show people hugging the bodies of their dead husbands, children hurt, a woman washing blood off the front of her shop, several men carrying moving the dead remains. <figure><img width="640" height="427" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720c999c7e80680e0b787bjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“Most discourse on the war is only in terms of the numbers,” says curator Gurung, who compares the different political establishments in Nepal to shifting cages (a subject of Kishor Jyoti’s another painting in the exhibition).“But the meaning behind those numbers is being forgotten, erased. What was the price the people were really made to pay?”All this reminds us of the violent reality of the world outside — <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/ukraines-lessons-for-sandwiched-nations-like-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ukraine</a>, Yemen, Syria and the never-ending brutality in world history. <figure><img width="6720" height="4480" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720c9e9c7e80680e0b787cjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The politics of being is central here here. From the meditations of memory – Teesha Shrestha’s mixed-media works depicting the deities and Newa heritage (in gold) being swallowed by the dark clouds of ash and thoughtless urbanisation – to masked shapes, faces, ideals and cages, the art is linked by the questions of body, of freedom, history, and individual and collective responsibilities. Above on the first floor, however, the atmosphere is the exact opposite. Following the traditional paubha paintings above of deities on various kholo around the room call for introspection and compassion.  <img width="6720" height="4480" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720ca29c7e80680e0b787djpeg.jpg" alt=""><figure><img width="6720" height="4480" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720ca79c7e80680e0b787ejpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The two floors are not so separate as may seem at first glance. Both the harsher reality downstairs and the calmer, philosophic upstairs encourage the viewer to ask: what is धर्म (Dharma)? “Despair is so commonplace now,” says Gurung, “that we don’t even think about it anymore. There is a disconnection with our Dharma, and we are not even compassionate to our own family members.”As one stands before Saru Prajapati’s Padmapani Lokeshvara or Rabi Shrestha’s Avalokitesvara, under the warm, lulling lighting, there indeed arrives a deep sense of love and awe. <figure><img width="6720" height="4480" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720caa9c7e80680e0b787fjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img width="6720" height="4480" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720caf9c7e80680e0b7880jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Reality is often overwhelming and disturbing, and we look for a recourse to help us heal and deal with it. Religion, gods, philosophy is one way: perhaps, art is another.Gurung recalls an artist friend of his jokingly asking him once: “When shall we pick rocks and take to the streets?”He believes that we are all contributing one way or another, whether subtly from our homes or on the road tackling expired tear-gas shells.“As artists,” he says, “our craft, their voice and expression are just as loud and forceful as sticks and stones.”Kholo 2532 Cycles of LifeDhokaima Café, Yala Maya Kendra, PatanContemporary section: Till 15 March 2022Traditional section: Till 29 March 2022Closed on Mondays

Ashish Dhakal

The wheel of time and thought

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101124/636b71fc9c7e80680e0600ffjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1125"/>This week Siddhartha Art Gallery brings to us the rare opportunity to view the works of two celebrated Tibetan thangka artists, Tenzing Dhargay and Lobsang Tseten (pictured). Viewers will be able to observe the beauty and intricacy of the painters’ works of devotional art, as well as the unique specialties of the paintings of their school when compared with the thangkas with which we are more familiar.The thangka tradition dates to antiquity and paintings were originally commissioned for temples and religious shrines. Artists used colours found in nature, grinding stones by hand. Four schools of thangka art developed in Tibet over time, and some of them share many similarities with Kathmandu Valley paubha art.There are, however, many ways to distinguish artistic works of various Himalayan traditions. Chief guest Rinpoche Tsepri Lopan Tulku pointed out during the exhibition’s inauguration that while Indian-influenced paintings of Buddha have his shawl going over his left shoulder and leave his right shoulder bare, Tibetan paintings have the shawl coming over the right shoulder. In his talk, Rinpoche also praised the two artists for using original stone colours and real gold in the paintings’ backgrounds. “I am not saying this just to flatter them, but because they are really good and represent the ancient art well,” he said.Read also: <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Devoted-to-painting,1705" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Devoted to painting</a>, Stéphane HuëtTenzing Dhargay is a tenth-generation artist of the Khari Khangsar family who, like most thangka painters, learnt the art by assisting his father. Belonging to the Menri school, he has painted both peaceful and wrathful deities. “Many people have asked why we paint such scary figures. In Tibet we believe that the soul wanders in limbo for 49 days after death, where there are many demons. If children grow up looking at these figures, then they will not be scared when they see them after death,” he said. Dhargay also spoke of how thangka is changing. The Menri school that he comes from is known for artists’ profuse use of green colour, and detailed backgrounds including waterfalls, trees and other natural features. Dhargay has kept the dominance of green, but experimented with the background, leaving that of many of his paintings bare.Lobsang Tseten’s works are large, intricate pieces depicting Buddha at the center surrounded by many other deities. Depending on the level of detail, the paintings may take him 5-6 months to create. The fourth-generation artist is also of the Menri school and started learning with his father at the age of 12, but then went on to study contemporary art in Canada. “I have come back to this form because of a concern for it. It is disappearing in its true form, and my work is an attempt to preserve that,” he said.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/guru-rimpoche-in-a-new-light/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guru Rimpoche in a new light</a>, Sewa BhattaraiTibetan Thangka paintings by celebrated Tibetan artistsSiddhartha Art Gallery, Babarmahal28 Jan-11 Feb

Golden deities

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108101136/636a23349c7e80680e0417d4jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="1067"/><figcaption>Sewa Bhattarai</figcaption></figure>Bodhisattva gallery has been active in documenting and preserving Kathmandu Valley’s traditional art, and is now back with its first exhibition after the 2015 earthquake. Jewels of Newar Art contains stunning paintings in the Paubha style, and sculptures made from the lost wax method.The exhibition features detailed portraits of Hindu and Buddhist deities including the Green Tara, White Tara, Manjushree, and Avalokiteswar. While most of them follow techniques for devotional paubha paintings, including using natural colours and painting deities according to classical specifications, we can also see many improvisations.One such work depicts deities in a wall apparently damaged by the earthquake. Others break away from traditional formats of the principal deity in the centre, and show gods in new, contemporary compositions. The exhibition shows us not just how rich Newar art is, but also how it is evolving in the hands of contemporary painters whose motif is art and not religion.Read also: <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Buzz-the-art,671" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The art of the gods</a>, Tsering Dolker GurungFor centuries Kathmandu has been famous for such ritual artwork, prized for aesthetic beauty and attention to detail. Everything about the deities, from their complexion to their poses, is replete with many layers of meanings: for example the Green Tara’s green complexion symbolises compassion. While these paintings and statues are valued by Kathmandu’s Newar community for worships, a layperson also finds lot to admire in these works.Coveted by art lovers all over the world, stolen and pillaged, many of Nepal’s antiques now reside in museums around the world. However, it comes as a surprise to many to learn that the art forms are well and alive in Kathmandu. The exhibition at Bodhisattva attempts to bring such contemporary artworks to viewers’ notice.“Many believe the art is dead and can now be seen only in museums, but in fact Kathmandu continues to produce world-class artwork of great value,” says Anjana Shakya of the Bodhisattva Art Gallery. “The art was dying at one time because the artists did not make money, and the only way to ensure its continuity is to make sure that the artists can access the right market. We aim to promote the artists by connecting them to national and international buyers who are interested.”Read also: <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/mycity/2015/12/23/from-wax-to-copper/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">From wax to copper</a>, Gopen RaiIndeed the gallery calls its exhibits ‘museum quality’, and they sell for anything up to Rs 3.5 million.  Three of the pieces will be showcased in Vienna in April in an exhibition of Nepal’s finest contemporary art. The exhibition at the Bodhisattva is an opportunity to appreciate home-grown art that may soon end up in famous museums around the world.Jewels of Newar ArtBodhisattva Art Gallery, KopundoleUntil 2 February

New Newa art

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107161120/6369222f9c7e80680e03a114jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="1051"/>In Sheelasha Rajbhandari’s painting, a boar holds a big round object in its tusks as it emerges from the water. The image suggests Lord Vishnu’s Varaha Avatar rescuing the earth, but look again and it is a woman rescuing a gas cylinder from an inundated city. The painting features in the 7th edition of Amalgam at the Siddhartha Art Gallery-- an example of how contemporary artists in Nepal are exploring its socio-political reality on canvas.Mekh Limbu’s vertical painting features houses stacked on each other leaving no space to breathe between them. Hitman Shrestha features portraits of people of all backgrounds set against documents they are unable to read.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/old-art-meets-new/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Old art meets new</a>, Sikuma Rai<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-art-of-healing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The art of healing</a>, Sewa BhattaraiThe exhibition also shows how different artistic styles are evolving and melding as artists of different genres interact with one another. Two paintings by senior Mithila artist SC Suman veer away from traditional styles, and instead of depicting deities, show Kathmandu’s congested life.“Mithila art is changing and incorporating new influences, like every other art form,” Suman explains. “I have painted my daily life as I saw it around Swayambhu: the crowded streets, the hustle and bustle, traffic, shops.”There is experimentation not just in content but also in form. There are staged photographs, mixed media, installations, and sculptures incorporating non-traditional mediums. A two-day workshop on ceramic art was held by the senior ceramic artist Gopal Kalapremi. The exhibition brings together many senior artists established in their genre, like the ceramic artist Kalapremi, printmakers Birendra Pratap Singh and Seema and Umashankar Shah, painter Shashi Bikram Shah, etc. It is also a rare opportunity to view artwork by the recently deceased Manuj Babu Mishra.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107161120/636922329c7e80680e03a115jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="737">Amalgam began in 2007 and has been bringing together artists of different genres and generations ever since. Despite the presence of established artists, its aim is to promote young artists from Kathmandu University, Sirjana and Lalitkala Academy and visiting international artists, says the coordinator and artist Prithvi Shrestha. A special feature this year is learning raku ceramic techniques with master artist Gopal Kalapremi Shrestha.Amalgam<a style="background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="http://www.siddharthaartgallery.com/cms/index.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Siddhartha Art Gallery</a>, Baber Mahal RevisitedTill 28 September<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107161120/636922369c7e80680e03a116jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="4128" height="3096">Artists featured: Aditya Aryal, Aman Maharjan, Anamika Gautam, Ang Tsherin Sherpa, Anisha Maharjan, Bidyaman Tamang, Bikash Shrestha, Dipak Lama, Gopal Kalapremi Shrestha, Hari Adhikari, Hariom Mehta, Hit Man Gurung, Ishan Pariyar, Jhankar Sapkota, Kabi Raj Lama, Kailash K. Shrestha, Lavakant Chaudhary, Laxman Bazra Lama, Man Bahadur Bal, Mekh Limbu, Nabin Nalbo, Nabina Sunuwar, Niroj Bade, Prabin Shrestha, Pratima Thakali, Prina Bajracharya, Prithvi Shrestha, Rajan Pant, Rishta K.C, Sagar Manandhar, Samir Meher, Sandhya Silwal, Sangee Shrestha, Saurganga Darshandhari, Sheelasha Rajbhandari, Shushank Kalapremi Shrestha, Sony Rai, Subash Tamang, Sujan Dangol, Suresh Basnet, Sushila Singh, Sushma Shakya.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-karnali-on-canvas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Karnali on Canvas</a>, Sewa Bhattarai<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/under-kathmandus-spell-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Under Kathmandu's Spell</a>, Duksangh Sherpa

Melding expressions

<h2>The cultural legacy of Nepal’s famous son can still be seen across East Asia</h2> <figure><img width="1000" height="614" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107101156/6368d6609c7e80680e03147ejpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>An artist's rendering of the White Dagoba (stupa) built by Arniko, that still stands at the Miao Ying temple in Beijing. </figcaption></figure>Stamps have been issued, a highway has been named after him, he has been declared one of Nepal’s national icons. But 900 years later Arniko still remains very much an enigma in the country of his birth. In China, however, where Arniko went as a master architect to the court of Kublai Khan in 1260, he is still respected. He was given the title of Duke of Liang, and a memorial stele marks the spot where he was cremated in Hsiang Sheng near Beijing. A biography was written about him, and the Yuan genealogy contains a chapter on him.It is because of these reliable sources from Chinese sources that today we are able to trace the story of this remarkable historical figure from Kathmandu, even though details about him in Nepal itself are patchy.In 1260, the Mongol leader Kublai Khan asked his spiritual guru Phags-Pa to build a golden stupa in Tibet. When the patriarch of Tibetan Buddhism’s Shakya sect asked the king of Nepal, Jaybhimdev Malla, for a hundred artists the king could muster only 80. Sixteen-year-old Arniko, already known as a child prodigy, volunteered to lead them. “The fact that they needed Nepali artists proves just how developed Nepal’s art and architecture were at that time,” explains art historian Manuj Babu Mishra. “In fact, the sixth-century Changu Narayan Temple pre-dated Arniko and indicates the richness of Nepal’s artistic past.”Due to the decline of Buddhism in the subcontinent Tibet looked upon Nepal as the source of Buddhist wisdom and philosophy. Phags-pa was so impressed with Arniko’s stupas that he trained him into  monkhood and sent him to Beijing to meet the Great Khan himself. Arniko impressed Kublai Khan (Genghis Khan’s grandson) by repairing a bronze statue, and went on to build the White Dagoba, which is a Beijing landmark to this day.  <figure><img width="1750" height="2091" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107101156/6368d6629c7e80680e03147fjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“China’s art and architecture were already highly developed, so China was not looking for just any architect from Nepal. What Arniko took to China was Buddhist architecture with its philosophy and symbolism,” says historian Satya Mohan Joshi, whose treatise on Arniko was published in 1988.  “for example the Chaitya in Swoyambhu and Baudha symbolised Chaitanya, or consciousness.”It is supposed to be Arniko who took Kathmandu Valley’s famous tiered temple style to China, from where it travelled to Korea and Kyoto. But while that is difficult to prove, Satya Mohan Joshi says Arniko took many other Nepali  elements north: the wooden gate, stone steps and carved windows (tikijhya) at the White Dagoba, its bronze spire (gajur), Nepali-style statues of Dipankar, Shakyamuni and Maitreya Buddha, Paubha paintings of deities like Mahakala, White Tara, Green Tara, Avalokiteswar.Amidst the ruins of the Cloud Terrace near the base of the Great Wall is a huge stone arch containing  images like the Garud, Nagkanya, crocodiles, elephants, and Panchabuddha. The white stupa in Nanking and other sites actually have inscriptions in Ranjana script – all vestiges of Arniko’s influence in China.Read Also: <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=7263#.WvqndKSFPIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Resurrecting Arniko</a> After Arniko constructed three stupas, nine great Buddhist temples, two Confucian shrines, one Daoist temple, he was made the ‘master of all classes of artisans’. Prof Jing Anning at Michigan State University writes that Arniko made ‘new symbols of the emperor’s sovereignty, based on designs from Indic culture such as the dharmacakra (Wheel of the Law) which was used to lead imperial processions, and the image of Garuda, the celestial bird that was displayed over the imperial throne’.In another research paper, late historian Dina Bangdel states that Arniko’s works were instrumental in the conversion of Kublai Khan to Tantric Buddhism. ‘Phags-pa directed Arniko to create an image of Mahakala that was used in a protection ritual to aid Khan in his battles (which he won). Arniko’s Mahakala image became a powerful symbol of a leader’s authority to rule,’ Bangdel has written.Arniko also crafted scientific instruments like armillary spheres and water clocks. However, art works  that can be definitely attributed to him are rare. The Cleveland Museum says its image of Green Tara is by Arniko, while portraits of Kublai Khan and his wife Chabi at the National Palace Museum of Taiwan are believed to be by Arniko. <figure><img width="1250" height="1613" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107101156/6368d6669c7e80680e031480jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Although these claims cannot be proven, Prof Anning says a bronze statue of Manjushri (dated 1305) now in the Palace Museum in Beijing and a brocade image of a three-faced, six-armed Guhyasamaja now in the Potala Palace in Lhasa are by Arniko. Arniko established a school of Nepali art in China which trained at least two of his own sons and thousands of Chinese artists. ‘By drawing inspiration from the artistic traditions of Pala, Nepal and China, Anige (Arniko) single-handedly created a new form of court art and promoted it through the huge artisan agencies under his leadership,’ Prof Anning writes.   The Italian traveller Marco Polo, who journeyed to China from 1271-1295, was a contemporary of Arniko. If they ever met, history has no record of it. Marco Polo is not even named in Chinese history. Ironically, while Marco Polo gained lasting fame after he returned home and wrote of his travels, Arniko despite the respect he commanded in the Chinese court, disappeared from world history after his death in 1306 at age 62.Satya Mohan Joshi thinks Arniko’s legacy is the enduring bond between Nepal and China, and cites the White Dagoba which was left alone even during the Cultural Revolution, and is still cared for and renovated with high priority by the Chinese state.He adds: “Nepal needs to live by the policy of panchasheel, and we have historic proof that Arniko espoused it. That is why he deserves to be our national icon.” <h2>Arniko meets Kublai Khan in Beijing</h2> After he arrived, the Emperor looked at him at some length before asking, “Are you afraid to come the big country?”He answered, “The sage (Kublai Khan) regards people in all directions as his sons. When a son comes to his father, what is there to fear?”“Why do you come?”He replied, “My family has been living in the west (Nepal) for generations. I took the imperial edict to build the stupa in Tibet for two years. I saw constant wars there, and wish Your Majesty could pacify them. I come for sentient beings.”“What do you practice?”He said, “I take my mind as my teacher and know roughly painting, casting and carving.”The Emperor was greatly pleased.(Extract from Arniko’s biography) <figure><img width="360" height="480" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107101156/6368d6689c7e80680e031481jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>

The life and times of Arniko

Exhibition showcases contemporary Nepali Thangka and Paubha painters <figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107101152/6368d62d9c7e80680e03146bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="930"/><figcaption>Muna Photos: Michael Gordon</figcaption></figure>Walk into most <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Buzz-the-art,671" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paubha</a> or Thangka shops in Thamel or Durbar Marg, and you will probably hear a story about Tibetan monks grinding stone pigments high in the Himalaya. ‘Exotic’ spirituality has become as much of a brand as Iphones used to Instagram it, but in reality most of these paintings are produced by Tamangs, Gurungs, and Newars using inexpensive poster colors in warehouses around Boudha and Bhaktapur.The painting factories may not seem ‘authentic’, but for the artist it puts food on the table. The demands of economic survival and the need for cultural preservation create new terms of authenticity for paubha and thangka.Thangka and paubha were originally ritual objects for Vajrayana Buddhists. Many would like to separate what is sacred and what is sold, but this is a false distinction. The paintings always involved financial transactions.However, as secular art collectors and tourists buy more of them, profit drives commodification.Tularam Lama has been painting for over 25 years, yet he is still at the mercy of gallery dealers who do not share their profits with artists.“We are compelled to sell cheap,” says Lama, who founded the Nepal Association of Thangka Artists. He still strives to maintain artistic integrity, teaching Tamang students to paint with inexpensive pigments as well as to understand the tradition's cultural heritage.Some painters use the market to build connections. Bhim Thapa, manager of Tara Thangka Center in Thamel, donates 25% of his sales to his community in Sindhupalchok. Prior to the earthquake, Thapa’s sales supported orphan children and women’s education. Today he focuses on basic necessities like blankets and food. "Thangka is not about perfect iconography, says Thapa, “to help is my dharma.”At the other end of the spectrum, internationally renowned <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2014/10/05/devoted-to-painting/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lok Chitrakar</a> paints with traditional mineral colors and works with scholastic rigour. He will be the first to gently remind you that paubha and thangka are not the same thing.Paubha was developed by the Newars of Kathmandu Valley in the 7th century. Nepali Princess Bhrikuti is said to have taken some of the images with her when she introduced Buddhism to Tibet 1,300 years ago. Over centuries, Tibetans developed their own stylistic code known as thangka. After the exile of the Dalai Lama in 1959, Tibet and its people gained increasing global popularity. Today, many tourists flock to Nepal as a surrogate for Tibet, hoping to find the monasteries (and thangkas) they saw in TinTin in Tibet and National Geographic documentaries.But what they find may defy expectations: Lok Chitrakar’s use of Hindu gods like Ganesh as icons of Newari Buddhism is not just an artistic choice, but a testimony to Nepal’s unique religious coexistence.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107101156/6368d6309c7e80680e03146cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="889">For many, however, maintaining these traditions is oppressive. Historically, thangka and paubha were made by men, but today the field is changing thanks to women artists like Muna Moktan. For her thangka means not just employment but also empowerment. She supports her family and a school of aspiring Tamang artists (mostly girls) with her paintings.“Women need to find a way to live on their own means, and I found it through thangka,” says Moktan.Read Also: <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Buzz-the-art,671" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The art of gods</a>, Tsering Dolker GurungSonam Dolma guides (rather than ‘teaches’) students in ritual pursuit of perfection.Many painting production centers now use transparent plastic overlays to rapidly reproduce outlines. Sonam’s students at the Tsering Art school use black wooden boards thinly coated with ghee and dusted with white chalk- to repeatedly draw until outlies are memorised, “by hand, mind, and heart.” The painters begin and end each day with prayer, to remember the true purpose of their craft.One of Sonam’s top students, Karma Rinchhen Gurung, paints to strengthen his practice as a Buddhist monk. At 15, he entered Samten Ling Monastery, and like his monastic vows, his painting brings him freedom through discipline. He considers his practice meditation, focusing his mind and brush on a single point. People often ask if he paints to make money. He himself wonders: “Am I doing this for dharma or for economic reasons?” Many students at Tsering Art School, including monks, paint for private dealers to afford living in Kathmandu.Read Also: <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Illustrated-history-of-chitrakars-nepal,3655" target="_blank" rel="noopener">An illustrated history of the Chitrakars</a>,  Sahina Shrestha<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107101156/6368d6329c7e80680e03146djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="986"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The foreign interest in thangka and paubha has also encouraged artistic individuality. <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=3915#.WvP2AH_BXIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tenzin Norbu</a> comes from a 400 year old lineage of thangka painters.Each new generation <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/The-world-beyond-thangkas,3139" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke away from the stylistic trends</a> of their predecessors. Norbu now illustrates modern Dolpo life and has shown around the world from the Rubin Museum in New York to Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. His ancestors never signed their paintings, believing in the collective accumulation of merit. Norbu now champions his distinct style as an emblem of personal entrepreneurship.For some, the craft is a way of maintaining cultural and spiritual lineage. For others, redefining not only what is painted, but who gets to paint affirms the rapid democratisation of the art from. To all artists, the paintings are a means of sacred survival, providing both sanctuary and subsistence.Sacred Survival, an exhibition of seven contemporary thangka and paubha artists 11 to 21 May, Siddhartha Art Gallery, Baber Mahal Curated by Michael Gordon.

Sacred survival

<img width="1250" height="833" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107101152/6368d5b69c7e80680e031440jpeg.jpg" alt=""/>In the land of magnificent traditional artforms like Paubha and Thanka, some connoisseurs may not even know about Nepal’s burgeoning contemporary art scene. Similarly, the young crowd that finds creative outlets in the digital arts, manipulated photos or iconoclastic graphics, may be ignorant of Nepal’s rich legacy of highly developed traditional arts. In an attempt to bridge this gap, the group Tilicho Kala, with the support of Old Durbar, has organised a four-day art exhibition, ‘Synthesis’.“The two styles of art seem to exist in separate bubbles, and each is stubbornly ignorant of the other. Through this exhibition we want to provide a platform which encourages dialogue and interaction necessary for the growth of our art culture,” says Ujen Norbu Gurung event organiser of Synthesis and founder of Tilicho Kala.The exhibition at Siddhartha Art Gallery displays traditional Paubha paintings and sculptures on the ground floor and contemporary oil paintings and digital manipulation on the first floor. Delicately rendered deities by renowned Paubha painters Lok Chitrakar, Prem M Chitrakar, Samundra M S Shrestha, and Kichaa M Chitrakar are on display along with sculptures by Pratham R Bajracharya, Punya R Bajracharya, Sapta R Bajracharya, Amir Shakya and Pradip Shakya. Also featured are works that experiment with different styles by contemporary artists Rashana Bajracharya, Erina Tamrakar and Michelle LL, and photographers Yanik Shrestha, Samir Maharjan and Aakash Pradhan. <img width="482" height="724" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107101152/6368d5b99c7e80680e031441jpeg.jpg" alt="">Over 300 art enthusiasts keenly discussed and reviewed the works on display at the opening ceremony at Chez Caroline on Wednesday, 2 May. Among the attendees were Chief Justice Deepak Raj Joshi and Justice Meera Khadka. Performances by the poetry group Word Warriors, and musical bands Unplugged Aawaj, and ‘The Night Band’ will close the exhibition on May 5. <figure><img width="1086" height="724" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107101152/6368d5bb9c7e80680e031442jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Synthesis Art Exhibition 2018 is the second edition of Tilicho Kala’s yearly effort to support the arts and provide more exposure to Nepali artists. The company was founded four years ago, aiming to curate and promote Nepali Art and provide a platform for young talent, and this year got support of Yeti Distillery, the producer of Old Durbar blended whisky.  “The process of crafting a bottle of Old Durbar is an art of its own. Old Durbar is a Nepali product that has created a history here, so we want to do something that connects to Nepal’s identity. And the art of any nation identifies it, so it made sense for us to support Nepal’s art,” explained Vinaya Rajkarnikar, Brand Manager at Yeti Distillery. <img width="1086" height="724" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107101152/6368d5be9c7e80680e031443jpeg.jpg" alt="">Synthesis Art ExhibitionSiddhartha Art GalleryBabar Mahal RevisitedTill 5 May