Art shows have become regular fixtures of Kathmandu’s cultural scape, with new exhibits popping up regularly at the dozen or so galleries peppered around the city. Festivals like PhotoKathmandu and Kathmandu Triennale have even converted public squares and malls into giant exhibition spaces. But what about exhibiting an art show at a hotel?

The art exhibition Samishran is bucking the trend by doing just that and is currently on display at the Shaligram Hotel Complex in Jawalakhel, Lalitpur. The exhibit features works by three artists—Bidhata KC, Kapil Mani Dixit and Chirag Bangdel.

About organising an exhibit at the unusual venue, artist Dixit said, “When an art exhibition takes place inside a hotel, it changes the whole ambience, the hotel itself turns into an artistic venue. There is a unique amusement to it, both for the artist and for the audience.”

Although the works are being displayed under the same roof, the form and styles of works created by three artists are distinctly different. Artist Dixit, renowned for nude arts, has this time around done something different. His works, abstract in form, make use of three primary colours, red, white and black, where he dabbles with themes ranging from the impacts of the earthquakes to lifestyle. In the work titled Beyond Borders, Dixit explores the love for one’s original culture and nation wherever in the world one may be.

While Bidhata KC’s works revolve around the artist’s impressions while visiting the rural district of Mustang, where she encountered dilapidated houses and the hard, oftentimes unforgivable, lifestyle the people had to live through. This provides the basis for KC’s works on display at Samishran.

Chirag Bagdel’s works, meanwhile, explore the philosophy of life. Bangdel’s works make use of symbols such as sankha (conch shell), lotus and various concepts around feminity. “I think women are the foundations of the world. And to me, sankha and lotus radiate a positive energy,” the artist said about his works.

Samishran will be on display through July 11.