Art exhibition titled Nepalese Seasons: Rain and Ritual is scheduled to open at The Rubin Museum of Art, Manhattan, New York, on May 6. The exhibition, which will have more than 50 works of art on display, is expected to shed light on the deep interconnection between natural environment, cultural traditions, and the people of the Kathmandu Valley. The exhibition is the first of its kind dedicated to exploring Nepali works of art in the context of seasons and related rituals.

Further, the exhibition is expected to offer a new understanding of the region and its art with innovative research from guest curator, Gautama Vajracharya, assisted by the Rubin Museum curator, Elena Pakhoutova. 

“Modern life in Nepal faces ongoing threats from natural disasters and climatic changes, and this exhibition poignantly illustrates how the country’s dependence on monsoon rain continues to play an important role in its agriculture, spirituality, social culture, and art,” said Vajracharya in a statement released by the Museum. “The connection of monsoon rains with seasonal rituals and Nepalese art began many centuries ago, yet it still remains a vital part of cultural life in the Kathmandu Valley.”

The exhibition sections correspond to seasonal periods in the Nepali year, beginning with Before the Rain, dealing with arts and rituals that precede the rainy season. Another section titled During the Rain highlights the practice that occurs during the highly anticipated monsoon season when the art is displayed in the monasteries, where wandering monks take shelter. While, the section After the Rain focuses on the art that represents harvest celebrations and related autumnal rituals, and Across the Seasons focuses on the relationship of believers’ to deities depicted in art, at the centre of which are seeing and worshipping the deities year-round.

The exhibition will also feature an audio guide narrating stories associated with the seasonal festivals highlighted in the exhibition. The exhibition will continue till March 27, 2017.