The weeklong International Nature Art Festival is currently ongoing at Red House Jungle Resort in Nawalparasi. First of its kind, the fest organised by the Gaindakot-based Kalawati Art Council features a total of 22 artists, hailing from countries such as Bangladesh, India, Germany and Nepal, who are creating art at the festival venue. 

Speaking to the Post, Chancellor of Nepal Academy of Fine Arts Ragini Upadhaya said, “I am very delighted to work out in the nature. The dust in Kathmandu is suffocating; in contrast, the atmosphere here is calming and perfect for an artist to engage in artistic endeavours.”

The chairperson of the Kalawati Art Council, Bhim Prasad Sharma, said, “We organised this programme so that the artists could create their work out in nature. We have prompted them to create artworks that depict the scenery and wildlife that surround them and we are excited to see what comes out of it. The event has been more successful then we had imagined.”

The fest features Nepali artists such as Ramesh Shrestha, Dhanu Yakkhya, SC Suman, Sushma Raj Bhandari, Kamal Uddin and Pradut Kumar Das, among others. 

“Holding an international art fest is not a piece of cake, but the organisers have pulled it off with great success. I am very happy that I participated in this festival,” said Indian artist Bijay Biswal. 

The artworks created during the fest will be exhibited in Madyabindu Multiple Campus, Kawaswati, on Thursday; the organisers also plan to exhibit the paintings in the Capital sometime in May.