The seventh iteration of the SAARC Art Camp is currently ongoing at the Gokarna Forest Resort in Kathmandu. 

The Camp, which includes a total of 30 artists from all SAARC countries, except for Afghanistan, is organised jointly by the SAARC Culture Centre, Sri Lanka, and Nepal’s Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. 

The event was inaugurated by Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Jitendra Narayan Dev amid a function held at Gokarna on Friday. 

Speaking at the event, Dev said that regional level art events like the Camp will help strengthen the bond and boost the friendship between the countries while helping to present the region more strongly in the world. 

“The atmosphere of interaction and friendship, cultural connectivity and cultural exchange during the Camp will contribute towards establishing long lasting partnerships in art,” the organisers said. 

During the Camp, the participating artists will engage in their artistic endeavours at the site. 

Rijaun Nabi, a Bangladeshi artist, said that with the Camp, he aims to present the contemporary Bangali arts and takes the platform to establish friendship with other artists from the region. 

Representing Nepal at the event are artists Anita Bhattarai, Erina Tamrakar, Jasmine Bhattarai, Jyoti Prakash BK, Lok Chitrakar, Namrata Singh, SC Suman, Subha Joshi, Sunita Rana, and Uday Charan Shrestha. 

Nepali artist Erina Tamrakar said that, during the Camp, she is going to attempt a symbolic piece that blends the motifs of nature and feminism. Another of participating artist Anita Bhattarai’s work will also revolve around similar themes, while artist such as Lok Chitrakar and SC Suman will present Nepali traditional arts—Paubha and Mithila chitrakala.

The themes assigned for this year’s event are: Sacred Site and The Beauty of Nature. 

The artworks created during the four-day Camp will be put on display at the site on July 31, the last day of the Camp.