An art exhibition ‘Deities of Nepal’ will be held at Nepal Art Council on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Nepal Art Council and the 50th anniversary of the Nepal Handicraft Association from November 27 to December 11.
The exhibition will be jointly organised by Nepal Arts Council and Nepal Handicrafts Association, the organisers informed at a press meet on Thursday.
The exhibition is planned to pay homage to late Satya Mohan Joshi, who was the president of Nepal Arts Council till his death.
Noted historian and cultural scholar Joshi died on October 16 at the age of 103.
Sagar SJB Rana is leading the Council as its acting president after Joshi’s demise.
Folk, traditional and contemporary art works of Hindu and Buddhist deities created by senior artists as well as novice ones will be displayed in the art exhibition titled
‘Deities of Nepal’.
Rana said that the exhibition aims at spreading public awareness about Nepali art culture.
He added that the exhibition will also be a platform to provide knowledge on Hinduism and Buddhism through folk art, traditional art and modern art.
Influence of these religious ideologies on human life will also be highlighted, he added.
Recalling late Satya Mohan Joshi, Rana said that Joshi had played a pivotal role in the commercialisation of Nepali art and Nepali handicrafts. “Because of this, now Nepali handicrafts are being exported to many countries,” he added.
Swasti Rajbhandari, curator of the exhibition, said that there was an open call to collect art through various means. They received more than 600 art works. Due to space limitation at Nepal Art Council, they have shortlisted only 246 art works received from 163 artists, she informed.
Rajbhandari said that they will be exhibiting the art works of deities including Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti, Ganesha, Aadhi Buddha, Pancha Buddha, Buddha, Lokeshwar and others.
She said that Indrajatra festival and intangible deity arts made by Tharus and Chitrakars will also be displayed in the exhibition.
Prachanda Shakya, president of the Nepal Handicraft Association, informed that the art exhibition, which will last for two weeks, will focus on the development of art from ‘Om’ to
‘modern art’.
During the exhibition, a discussion on the iconographic expression of the deities of India and Nepal will be held at the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.
Likewise, a discussion programme of Tharu and Newar cultures will be held at Nepal Art Council, informed the organisers.
Source : TRN,
