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KIAF 2017 in the offing
The third iteration of the Kathmandu International Art Festival (KIAF) is scheduled to be held from March 24 to April 12, 2017 in the Capital. Organised by The Siddhartha Arts Foundation, the two-week festival will feature works by a host of Nepali and international artists.The third iteration of the Kathmandu International Art Festival (KIAF) is scheduled to be held from March 24 to April 12, 2017 in the Capital. Organised by The Siddhartha Arts Foundation, the two-week festival will feature works by a host of Nepali and international artists.
With the theme ‘The City’, the Festival, which will be the first curated edition of the platform, will present a new format developed for the
context, opportunities and challenges of working in Kathmandu and Nepal. KIAF 2017 will be curated by renowned Belgian curator, Philippe Van Cauteren, who is also the Artistic Director of SMAK (Museum for Contemporary Art) in Ghent, Belgium. This year, KIAF’s main exhibition, as conceived by the curator, will have a twofold aim: production and exhibition of artworks in Kathmandu and ‘encounters’ or substantial exchanges facilitated by visiting international artists.
KIAF is Nepal’s only international platform for global contemporary art practices. It is a not-for-profit engagement that brings together national and international artists, as well as experts,
to reflect on pertinent social issues. Through the facilitation of the platform, organiser Siddhartha Arts Foundation employs the arts to present multiple perspectives on contemporary themes in order to educate audiences and engage society in critical dialogue.
The past two editions of KIAF were held in 2009 and 2012. The first edition featured a total of 111 artists from 25 countries, whose works were exhibited under the theme of Separating Myth from Reality: Status of Women. The second edition was developed on the theme of Earth | Body | Mind to address issues of the environment and ecology. It featured 96 artists from 32 countries and a range of educational programming.
Organisers say, KIAF 2017 is dedicated to the victims of the earthquake and to all Nepalis, for their unwavering resilience in time of crisis.