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Nepali art to be exhibited in Denmark
Nepali art to be exhibited in DenmarkAlisha Sijapati
On June 3, Siddhartha Arts Foundation’s Art Curator and Director Sangeeta Thapa chaired a discussion during a gathering held at her residence in Maligaun, Kathmandu. The gathering saw artists and mediapersons come together to discuss motifs behind an art exhibition, titled Parallel Realities, which is scheduled to begin from September 16 up till January 2017, at Moesgaard Museum in Aarhus, Denmark. The exhibition, which will have on display works of a number of Nepali artists, will be a part of Images 2016 event.
The event also saw personalities such as Danish Ambassador to Nepal, Kirsten Geelan, and Moesgaard Museum’s Visual Anthropologist Ditte Marie Seeberg, among others.
The forthcoming exhibit will include paintings, installations, sculptures, photographs, videos and performances of artists such as Tenzing Norbu, Gopal Kalapremi, Sunil Sigdel, Hitman Gurung, Sheelasha Rajbhandari, Mekh Limbu, Jeewan Suwal and Sanjeev Maharjan. A series of talk programmes and workshops by the Nepali artists, that hope to create awareness and dialogue about the socio-political and cultural realities in Nepal, will also be part of the exhibition.
According to the artists and curator Thapa, it took them almost two years to get an elaborate platform in a prestigious museum like Moesgaard. “I am very excited to exhibit such marvelous works of our artists in an international arena. Although it’s not the first time that our artists are receiving an exposure internationally, this is something completely different: It marks a historic milestone for both Danish-Nepal relationships and it is the first time that contemporary Nepali artists are showcasing their work in one of Europe’s premiere museums,” informed Thapa.
Hitman Gurung, whose installation pieces garnered rave reviews in New Delhi, India, is looking forward to showcase his three art works, titled ‘I have to feed myself, my family and my country’, in Denmark in two months. “Every time I travel abroad to represent the country and my artwork, I have always received different reviews. In addition, the experiences and encounters too have been diverse. I am looking forward for a new change now,” said Gurung.
Jeewan Suwal, through his art titled Listen to the Earth, a 12-feet installation of bricks in a human form with a shadow, tries to showcase loss and human suffering, “I lost my father during the earthquake of 2015; it was an emotional moment for me. I realised that we Nepalis were flying in the air when the catastrophe took place and through my installation I want to spread the word—it’s time we touch our feet on the ground and listen to mother Earth.” Sanjeev Maharjan’s installation of bricks too will be on display at the museum. His installations are images that are framed in bricks; it is accompanied with videos.
Ditte Marie Seeberg, Moesgaard Museum’s Visual Anthropologist, addressed, “It’s time the world knows Nepal is more than just mountains, Thanka paintings and Gautam Buddha. The country has exemplary young artists and such talents shouldn’t be hidden.”
“This is a result of two-years of hard work that Siddhartha Arts Foundation and The Danish Centre for Culture and Development have been involved with. I do believe that Nepali artists should get an opportunity to promote their artwork outside of Nepal as well and to change the stereotypical thoughts that foreigners have over Nepal and its people,” said Delphine Pawlik, Programme Advisor at The Danish Centre for Culture and Development.
Hitman Gurung and Sheelasha Rajbhandari will be among the artists who will be representing other artists at Moesgaard Museum.
The exhibition is sponsored by The Danish Centre for Culture and Development in Nepal.