It was after tackling numerous hurdles that Anita Bhattarai, 32, was able to fulfill her childhood dream of perusing painting as a profession to reality. Her parents were persistent in encouraging Bhattarai to choose a medical career. However, she was determined in following her passion and enrolled herself to fine arts in Lalit Kala Campus. 

Active in arts for more than a decade now, she also holds a post-graduate degree in Education Philosophy from Kathmandu University.  A student trainer in Education Philosophy, she is currently engaged as an Art In-Charge at Himalayan White House School. She trains art students from Grade 1 to high school students.

In an interview with My City’s Sonam Lama, Bhattarai talked about the experience and challenges she witnessed in her professional journey.

How do you find the art scene developing in Nepal?
As artists, our work skills and efficiency have been growing. However, the lack of ample opportunities has been affecting our work productivity. I have personally experienced hierarchical and gender gap in some area of work which has been hindering female artists from progress to their maximum capability. 

How do you choose your subject while painting?
My work quite often portrays and revolves around the subject matter of women. Before choosing my topic, I research on different possibilities and extract inspiration from ethnic art genres like ‘thanka’, ‘paubha’ and also contemporary arts. I try my best to link contemporary issues in my work. Also, I try to portray the scenarios or incidents that have affected my life. I take ideas from different artworks for reference and merge them into a single piece of art.

What drew you to art and painting?
Since the time I joined school, I remember enjoying drawing, scribbling and coloring at an immense level. Growing up in Biratnagar provided a feasible environment to follow my passion. As girls, we were hardly permitted to play outdoors, so I started indulging myself in drawing varieties of arts. Being the eldest sibling, I used to collaborate with my younger siblings and carry out with different activities of paper and artworks. However, I took science as my major subject in high school and got secluded from artwork for quite some time. I eventually decided to study and professionally pursue arts as a career. 

How do you find the idea of encouraging art among school children?
It is encouraging to see that along with ECAs, art as a subject has been included in the children’s curriculum today. This trend has gradually been paving way for arts to flourish in Nepal. The school curriculum has advanced in such a manner that the artwork has been linked and related to a wider perspective now. Students at a young age understand the nature and technique of performing art and learn about color combination and ethnic and contemporary arts. Students are exposed to an environment through arts which help them develop their interactive and interpersonal skills. Therefore, art has found a special space in students’ daily activity.

From an artist to an art in-charge how have you witnessed the challenges in your work?
I adore being occupied with the work that I enjoy. So, the role shift from an artist to an art in-charge has definitely emerged with a myriad of unusual challenges. However, I have been able to get the hold of them and perform my work efficiently. I manage my time which also helps me multitask properly. As my parents were not pleased with the fact that I wanted to pursue a career in arts, they were reluctant to pay for my art classes. So, I started tutoring secondary level students to pay for my classes. When I look back at that phase, I find it quite challenging compared to now when I am completely independent and the master of my own will.