After her husband passed away in 1998, Manorama Shrestha, with the help of her daughter, Chanda Shrestha, picked the paint brush as a tool to sublimate her grief. Manorama Shrestha focused on painting flowers. Manorama had come to believe that “where flowers grow, so does hope.” Over the years, she painted all different species of flowers that are found in Nepal, particularly in the Valley. Her struggle of overcoming her personal grief is now a part of an exhibition titled Floral and Cultural, currently on show at Nepal Art Council, Babermahal.

Chanda encouraged her mother to paint as a way of dealing with her struggles because she herself was aware of the relaxation one feels while engaging with colours. Chanda’s paintings feature the cultural part of the paintings. Chanda is an internationally noted artist, whose works adorn several walls around the world, particularly in the houses of Japan. She is known for depicting the various facets of Nepali cultural heritage.

Cultural expert Satya Mohan Joshi inaugurated the work on January 1. The ongoing exhibition features 35 floral paintings by mother Manorama, and 21 cultural paintings daughter Chanda. Ragini Uphadyay said that the duo has a very unique way of playing with colours.

The exhibition will run through Jan 4.