In April 2015, during the earthquake that forever changed our present and futures, the Book Bus was in Gorkha – the epicenter of the earthquake. The Book Bus arrived in Gorkha, a year after, with what had anchored the sanity in those terrifying hours and days and what had given hope to the children and, in turn, their community: it brought art. The art events was curated by Sujan Chitrakar and the participating artists were Pratima Thakali, Martin Travers, Suresh Maharjan, Sudeep Balla, Niti Shrestha, Shreeti Prajapati, Raul Tidor and Nepal Picture Library.

www.qcbookshop.com

PechaKucha 20×20 is a simple presentation format where you show 20 images, each for 20 seconds. The images advance automatically and one talks along to the images. Devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham architecture, Sujan Chitrakar is the city organiser of PechaKucha Night Kathmandu along with his illustrator friend Chris Haughton.

On August 2012, “Rainbow City,” the first mural arts program in Kathmandu was organized by Quixote’s Cove in partnership with Kathmandu University Center for Art & Design (KUart) and sponsored by the US Embassy. James Burns, who is a staff artist at Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program with more than a decade of work experience, conducted a nine-day program for local Nepali artists to teach them the complete mural-making process from design to installation. The program included lectures, workshops, painting and a community paint day. The 20 feet tall by 25 feet long mural is located at Patan Dhoka on the wall of Café Cheeno. www.qcbookshop.com

Rise and Shine
The North Philadelphia Beacon Project
Created by James Burns as part of the three year Porch Light Initiative in collaboration with Sobriety Through Out-Patient (S.T.O.P.), the mural The North Philadelphia Beacon Project reflects the creativity and effort of hundreds of community members, S.T.O.P. staff and service recipients, volunteers, and artist James Burns.

Fulbright Visiting Scholar / Assistant Artist to James Burns, Staff Artist, www.muralarts.org

A Curatorial Note:

Although recent political history states that Nepal officially opened its borders to the world in the 1950s, its art history suggests that this was rather a re-integration. Fragments of western art had entered the country over a century before and a few centuries earlier, Nepali artists were a novelty to within the region. Since the 1950s, Nepali artists and art have lived between the pull of global art trends and local ethnic themes. Much of contemporary Nepali art is shaped by the intermittent parachuting in of multi-national and multi-cultural stimuli that have been sporadically absorbed.

A serious dearth of documented history has resulted in an ambiguity and vagueness to our recent art history. Without any records or meaningful narrative, the historical contribution of Nepali artists is poorly understood, if not entirely forgotten. A cohesive understanding of the various art movements, artistic styles and aesthetic notions that are a part of our history is sorely lacking.

Birendra Pratap Singh (b.1955) belongs to a generation of artists who studied abroad and returned home with their newfound skills to practice art. Singh and his generation of artists have embedded their knowledge into the fabrics of Nepali art. As the founder of Shrijana Art Gallery (1986), he remains one of the most active and influential artists of his generation.

A retrospective of Birendra Pratap Singh was a necessity for Nepali art to situate itself in relation to its past and to a generation of artists that occupy a particular periodic niche. Despite limited resources and considerable challenges, Birendra Pratap and his generation of artists played a pivotal role in the development of what we today understand as “modern Nepali art”. This retrospective, by an indefatigable and much loved artist, is therefore a tribute to a whole generation of artist. Through it, we hope to come to a better understanding the elements and styles that shape our present.

(Excerpt  from KIAF official website)
Both editions of Kathmandu International Art Festival (KIAF) were the largest non-profit art exhibitions held in South Asia. The 2009 edition was widely received as a landmark event for Nepali arts. It featured 111 artists from 25 countries who exhibited for 12 days at 6 different venues. This inaugural edition was organized by Siddhartha Art Gallery (SAG) and focused on the theme of “Status of Women.” The event was inaugurated by Rashmila Shakya, former Kumari, who embodied the concerned theme. A 3-day symposium was organized by SAG to complement the visual component of the event. Mondriaan Foundation, a patron of the Festival, hailed the Festival as their highlight for the 2009 funding cycle.

In 2011, SAF was registered to become the official organizing body of the Festival. The 2012 edition was much larger in scope and scale than its predecessor. It featured works by 97 artists exhibited at over 16 venues over the course of a month. The works were sourced from an open call and selected by an international jury. Eminent artist Richard Long (UK) was recognized as the Artist Patron of the event. KIAF 2012 realized the following historical achievements: