More so, in the context of Nepal’s contemporary art scenario.[break]
But then, what does “contemporary” mean, after all? What is global? What is local? Where is the global in the local, and vice versa?
What makes a work “art”? Who gets to decide? Does this “art” need to carry socio-political meanings? What about aesthetic standards? What next for Nepali artists in the post-conflict period?
“Glocalization of Art: Contemporary Art Practices,” a one-day international art conference organized by Lasanaa in Kathmandu on Tuesday, November 30 raised all such questions which are all pertinent to the current debate.
The conference in many ways went back to the dialogue during Kathmandu International Art Festival held in 2009. The title of which read “Separating Myth from Reality: Status of Women.” However, can ‘myth’ really be separated from ‘reality’ when they are continually influencing each other?
Right at the opportunity to speak, Indian photographer Satish Sharma and one of the commentators of the conference, pointed at the event’s banner. “‘Glocalization’ presents the binary of the global and the local as does ‘contemporary’ between tradition and modernism,” put in Sharma, furthering, “However, art should not be about finding answers but about questioning everything. Why should art be viewed chronologically? Who is more contemporary than the other? Why should we restrict to boundaries that are an 18-19th century European concept enforced on us?”
Answering Sharma’s question, however, on what contemporary art is to her, was Gridthiya Gaweewong, Artistic Director of The Jim Thompson Art Center in Thailand. “While it’s a very abstract term, to me contemporary art isn’t defined by age, technique or media,” stated Gaweewong, who is the co-founder of Project 304, a non-profit art space established in 1996. “I’m interested in the narrative, but execution is important as well.”
As the first speaker, Gaweewong gave an insightful presentation on how artists are responding to everyday socio-political issues in her country, Thailand, through art installations, performances and interactive works. From Navin Taxi Gallery by Navin Rawanchaikul in the 1990s to Rirkrit Tivanjaia “Who’s afraid of red, yellow and green?” (August 2010), the works were not too distant from what independent scholar and writer Archana Thapa presented a few hours later on Nepali art during the armed conflict and post-conflict period. These, however, present a minor group of artists who pursue what we now like to call ‘artivism’ (art and activism).
“Art without socio-political content would be boring like painting beautiful landscapes and flowers,” shared Gaweewong, during the lunch break. Indeed, art in the 21st century has gone beyond making a portrait of an old Nepali woman with plenty of wrinkles or of the Machahapuchhre reflecting on Fewa Taal.
While socio-political messages are inherent in Nepali works as seen in the galleries of the Valley, execution remains a concern, as it was evident at the international art festival last year. Of the 44 Nepali participants’ works, a large chunk of them was literal interpretations of the festival’s theme, depicting some form of a suffering woman.
On the other hand, it is not justifiable to completely dismiss works that aren’t inherent of socio-political messages. Take for instance, Bidhata KC’s paintings of leaves, Kailash K Shrestha’s self-portraits, or Sunita Maharjan’s exploration of lines.
Art, as a form of expression, exists at different levels and meanings, and are subjective to both the maker and the viewer’s personal as well as public experiences.
Amidst all this, artist Jyoti Duwadi also made himself heard. “I have a problem with the word ‘art’ itself. It should be addressed as ‘creativity’ – a way of thinking, and not be limited to the visual.”
But to move on, the lack of documentation of works by Nepali artists, was apparent in Thapa’s important presentation which had very few images. While those who weren’t able to witness installations and performances such as Ghatana (2001), Bichalit Bartaman (2002), Happening (2004) and Mannequin Civilization (2008) in Kathmandu will have to make do by others’ experiences, it leaves holes in terms of recording our own art movements. At this moment, Social Science Baha’s Interactive Mapping and Archive Project, with the objective of creating a digital archive for art, plays a crucial role.
As the conference was being broadcast live on the Internet, curator Sangeeta Thapa added on to Pooja Sood’s presentation on the importance of building a network.
“We’re in a digitalized world, and artists today are not confined and should be aware that they can make an impact in the continent and beyond,” said the founder of Siddhartha Art Gallery. Sood, founding member of KHOJ International Artists’ Association in India, emphasized on building links vertically and horizontally in the South Asian region through private efforts since “government funding is as good as non-existent.”
Perhaps, the Chancellor of Nepal Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), Kiran Manandhar, should have stuck around the conference, past his lamp lighting activity, to listen to Sharma opine, “When did the ‘Lalit’ (fine) in ‘Kala’ (art) come about? A National Cultural Policy (which is in the offing) working with the ‘Lalit’ Kala will be problematic, as it was in India. Artists start becoming co-opted, and there will be concern for artistic freedom.”
Associate professor of Art in USA, Kathyrn Hagy’s presentation delved into the eastern influences that have been seen across Western art since the 19th century.
In her lecture at NAFA a few months back, Assistant Professor of Art Dina Bangdel, also in USA, attributed the beginnings of contemporary Nepali art to when Nepali artists started painting in the ´Western´ style.
“What about the influence of Mughal paintings and changes in folk arts?” Jupiter Pradhan had casually questioned later.
In May of this year, Sunita Shakya exhibited her paintings, which she said to have executed in the technique of ‘oil’ but with ‘acrylic’ colors. While the West seems to be drawing on the spirituality of the East and exploring it through various mediums, we seem to be adhering to European standards on how one should be using a certain kind of medium.
“There are multiple modernities in the world today and we can’t see modernism in relation to the West alone,” expressed Associate Professor of English at TU, Sanjeev Upreti.
Even so, at the end of the day, it wasn’t so much about the discourse on global, local, what is art and so on and so forth, but on the creation of a Live Art Hub for Nepali artists to come together to share their ideas and put them into fruition, or to simply converse.
“I envisioned the Hub to serve as a lab for anyone and everyone, not just artists alone,” stated Lasanaa founder Ashmina Ranjit, who continually stressed that the ownership of the Hub is not Lasanaa’s alone. Ranjit, who believes in the development of concepts, has been leading the movement of breaking conventional forms, such as painting and sculptures since the armed-conflict period.
As Sujan Chitrakar made a sketch for his upcoming exhibition, ‘Let’s talk about art, baby,” and as Dr Abhi Subedi murmured “good point” every now and then, Duwadi himself made a slip of tongue and said, “Young artists should create ‘art’ to heal the nation in the post-conflict period.”
So be it, then.
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