Milan Rai, 24, originally from Dharan, is an artist. Unlike others who are into spreading different strokes of colors onto wide and neat canvasses, Milan Rai stands out differently, and that is the reason why he says he does not paint, he does “action painting”.
Rai, who is demonstrating his action painting Live at the North Gate Aqua Lounge and Bar in Lazimpat on November 7, says he follows a unique way of expressing his expressions on canvasses. No, he does not paint with regular brushes, on regular canvasses with household acrylic or oil paints like many in this profession do. He has not also limited himself into portraying realistic characters and qualities in art. He says his paints everything, anything, and with any tools he has access to.
His recent work, a live action painting during the Miss Nepal 2009 beauty pageant, was well received. He dropped the jaws of many when he sprayed bottles of color on canvases alongside a young lady dancing flamingo. Many were left surprised for they hardly could understand what he was doing. He explains that this is also a form of art that was popularized by international artist Jackson Pollock.
“Art is never confined to any particular understanding and theories. It is as deep as an ocean and as vast as sky. It would be foolish to label art to certain definitions,” said the artist who does not mind even when many think he is a psychic. “I love doing what I’m good at and hardly bother about what people talk about me. There are many who compliment my work, too.”
An artist who paints only when there are musical beats and notations around him, Rai is pretty positive about his upcoming show where the upcoming band Night is going to perform to complement his art. “We both (Rai and Night) are unaware of what we’re going to do that day. I haven’t asked them the kind of music they are playing and they also haven’t enquired about the art that I’ll project. We’ll be moving together in a great journey of performing art without a map but with a great passion to discover something pleasant,” highlighted Rai.
Rai paints with anything that he sees before him. At times, they are combs and sticks while in the next, he uses tins and ropes to spread the colors and paste his ideas.
“This is how I am. I live in the world of fantasy and fiction. I live in the clouds. People often ask me to come down to the ground and stick to my toes. I do come sometimes to visit the world of reality, as defined by people, and gradually feel suffocated and return to my own fairy world. The real world is so fake, let me live the way I want to. Let me paint my expressions differently, let me try something I haven’t tried before,” Rai got nostalgic while explaining how deeply he is into his profession.
He says every human being is born an artiste, irrespective of the profession they get into later.
“Who must not have scribbles and draw on their walls, who must not have moved their toes to different rhythms and who must not have loved listening to fairy tales when they were young? The society directs us to do this and that and we follow blindly, killing our innocence and our art deep within ourselves. The difference between you and me is just that I’ve kept that real me alive,” he added.
Rai has never gone through any formal art schools and trainings. He says he is his own teacher and he is a student of himself, keen on learning more and more everyday.
“I make a lot of mistakes while painting, and make sure that I sort out which to keep and which not to. That’s how I learn more everyday,” unveiled Rai. “I’m my own instrument, and my imaginations are my sole inspiration.”
As Rai’s painting is a live demonstration, it will only be staged on November 7 at the North Gate Aqua Lounge and Bar (inside Tej Bhawan in Lazimpat). However, the painting will remain at the eatery for the next few days so that those who are interested can purchase them directly from the restaurant.
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