Synthesis, an exhibition of traditional and contemporary paintings, photography and sculptures, is currently being held at the Siddhartha Art Gallery in Babarmahal. The event began on Wednesday, May 2, with a lengthy list of who’s who of the Nepali art scene in attendance. The exhibit boasts works by artists Lok Chitrakar, Prem M Chitrakar, Samundra MS Shrestha, Kichaa M Chitrakar, Yanik Shrestha, Samir Maharjan, Aakash Pradhan, Pratham R Bajracharya, Punya R Bajracharya, Sapta R Bajracharya, Amir Shakya, Pradip Shakya, Rashana Bajracharya, Erina Tamrakar, and Michelle LL.

After a speech by senior artist Madan Chitrakar, the show opened to some music and much fanfare. As the name suggests, the exhibit is a synthesis of artists, young and old, who work in the traditional as well as contemporary vein and with various media. This exhibition is nothing if not diverse, comprising a rich collection of artworks by current Nepali artists. As such, traditional wood work and Paubha are shown in conjunction with experimental photography, expressionistic paintings, and mixed media works. In spite of the different styles and approaches of various artists, there is a continuity and progression of themes within the works in this show.

Samundra MS Shrestha’s paintingof White Tara, the female bodhisattva and a recurring figure in Paubha(whose place in the Buddhist pantheon speaks to the insignificance of gender from the point of view of enlightenment), complements Rashana Bajracharya’s mixed media painting, Purity of Impurity, where a Tara-like figure emerges from a bloodied sanitary pad, as both paintings, though different in style and execution, essentially deal with ideas concerning gender equality. Tara is the symbol of female enlightenment (and therefore equality to men) in the Mahayana tradition and Shrestha’s painting celebrates this ideal. Bajracharya’s work does much the same while also functioning as an invective against the stigma around menstruation—situating prejudice in the cruel application of certain customs and engendered beliefs.

As per the organisers, the event, Synthesis, is a “journey (through Nepali art) from the past into the present and a glimpse into the future.”

The show will conclude on May 5.