If you are a regular gallery visitor here in Kathmandu, you will have noticed the use of ‘price tag’ stickers (the one with two horizontal red lines) stuck sometimes next to the work on the wall with a number, and sometimes on the side of paintings themselves. They are not only distracting but also unprofessional. Therefore, the relief that comes from the absence of these tiny but intrusive stickers is indescribable.
Moving ahead on the art exhibits, ‘Lungta’ at the Indigo Gallery is a group of works by 55-year old Maureen Drdak from Pennsylvania, USA. The exhibition showcases her experience from her visit to Lo Manthang, a remote and restricted area in Mustang of western Nepal last year. “I spent two weeks in Lo Manthang for a collaborative project with the American composer, Andrea Clearfield,” says Maureen. ‘Lungta’ literally means ‘wind-horse’ in Tibetan which symbolizes positive energy, and is often depicted on prayer flags. To highlight the exhibition, prayer flags have been installed outside of the gallery, which adds to the aura.
Drdak’s main works produced during the six months after her visit are three monumental paintings titled the ‘Lungta Triptych’, which unfortunately are not at the show because they are 60 feet by 60 feet each. Nonetheless, the Giclee prints of the paintings, produced in a limited edition of 25, offer a glimpse of those paintings.
Drdak’s works all evoke movement in some way or the other, and refer to the wind. The most captivating of her pieces are the group of five drawings on white paper called ‘Sago Namgo’ which contain combinations of delicate and fluid brush strokes of black India ink, graphite (in other words, pencil), and colored pencils. The delicacy of these drawings is strengthened by the ample negative spaces surrounding Drdak’s marks, the way it is hung at the exhibition, as well the white walls of the gallery.
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While Drdak’s artworks have a sense of connectedness because of her theme, 20 years old Himsheela Bharati’s 27 images at the Yala Maya Kendra do not have a theme. ‘One Step Forward’ is a group of works produced by the painter while she was studying art during her A-Levels in China. At the moment, she is a sophomore at the University of Salford in Manchester, UK, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Graphic Design.
“I wasn’t planning to display my work, you know, like (other) professional artists, because I’m still studying,” says Bharati, who heads back to the States to continue her studies in a month. It is apparent that Bharati has lots of room for improvement in terms of technique, nonetheless. When asked why she had not titled any of her works, she answered astutely, “I feel that titles limit the imagination of a viewer and I want my viewers to bring in their own perspectives when they see my work.” Well!
Bharati uses various mediums from oil and acrylic paint to charcoal and pastels. “I enjoy working with charcoal the most,” she says. Of the works on display, her linoleum prints are the most mysterious and interesting ones because one cannot really make out what the subject is. The lack of titles indeed makes them more intriguing. In addition, prints are a rare treat in the galleries of Kathmandu.
‘Lungta’ is open at the Indigo Gallery till October 18; from 8am to 6pm.
‘A Step Forward’ is open at the Yala Maya Kendra till October 16; from 10am to 6pm.
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