The 13th edition of the monthly art fest, The Art Market, was held at The Yellow House, in Lalitpur, on November 12. The event featured 22 stalls that had on sale a host of Nepal-made products such as notebooks, recycled jewelry, and portraits, among others. The event also featured live music. Image Ark, a creative studio and art gallery in Patan, in collaboration with The Yellow House, has been organising the Art Market on the first Saturday of every month since 2015.

Pranidhi Tuladhar, a product designer at Image Ark and an organiser of the market, said, “There is a lot of contemporary art being produced in the country today. This meet of artists and enthusiasts is an attempt to create a platform for networking and making the art more accessible to the public.” She further added that the market encouraged Nepal-made artworks and handicrafts and that the space was also set up to encourage unique collaborations between artists who gather there every month. According to Tuladhar, any interested artist can set up a stall at the market for a small fee.

Kreeti Shakya is the founder of Allaré and has been participating in this art meet from the very beginning. Allaré is an iconographic art business that makes everyday products with a focus in transcending traditional Nepali art into modern mediums. Speaking to the Post, Shakya said, “The Art Market is a perfect event to showcase our products, along with earning some extra cash. It is a great option for test marketing artifacts before launching it to the general public.

Another stall, Miss Moti, a fictional character created by Kripa Joshi, flaunted cards, comics and totes with positive messages about body image at the event. “This is our first time in The Art Market,” Joshi said, “And we have high hopes that it will help us to attract more audiences.”

Srijana Limbu, a representative for Earthy, which specialises in nature wear, said that her company returned to the market for a second time, given the roaring success in the last edition. She also said that, during this edition, her company is actively seeking to network and collaborate with other artists.

The next market will be on December 3.