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Printmaking exhibit at SAG
Seduction of Print Making, a group exhibition of prints, is currently ongoing at Siddhartha Art Gallery in Babarmahal.Seduction of Print Making, a group exhibition of prints, is currently ongoing at Siddhartha Art Gallery in Babarmahal. The exhibit was organised by Printmaking Nepal, an artist collective devoted to the promotion and popularisation of printmaking techniques within the Nepali art scape. The show comprises of pieces by 21 of the collective’s members as well as those of prominent guest artists who are generally known for their facility with media aside from printmaking. The exhibit, which commenced on Wednesday, was inaugurated by the Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri.
Co-organisers of the exhibit as well as featured artists, Uma Shankar Shah and Dr Seema Sharma Shah, happen to be teachers of printmaking at the Central Department of Fine Arts in Tribhuvan University. In fact, the bulk of the exhibition is comprised of works by artists who had studied under them. Guest artists featured in the exhibit include Urmila Upadhya Garg, Pramila Giri, Manuj Babu Mishra, Shashi Bikram Shah, Batsa Gopal Vaidya, Kiran Manandar, Hriday Ballav Panday, and Lok Chitrakar.
All prints in the show are etchings. As such, the process of their making consisted of using acid to cut into unprotected parts of a metal surface (often copper). The composition was then inked and transferred onto a piece of paper by way of a high-pressure printing press. This process can be repeated many times and several hundred reproductions can be made using the same metal plate before the etched design wears off. As far as print making goes, the process of etching is one of the oldest and most prevalent—it was a popular technique among European ‘old masters’ and remains in wide usage among contemporary artists. The exhibition will continue till April 8.