ArTree Nepal is hosting its second edition of Open Studio titled “Oppo­site Dreams-The Politics of Local” inside its premises at Tripureshwor. The exhibit, which runs through till Nov 17 from 11:00 am-5:00 pm every day, features works of Mekh Limbu, Hit Man Gurung, Lavkant Chaud­hary, Sheelasha Rajbhandari, Bikash Shrestha and Subhas Tamang.

The exhibition highlights the dis­regarded historical narrative of the marginalized, underprivileged and indigenous communities and draws attention to the importance of equal representation of diverse ethnic­ities, identities, cultures and lan­guages. The pieces on display make use of different mediums like stone and wood carving, terracotta pots, videos and lights to accentuate the theme of the exhibition.

Curator of this open studio and creator of the piece “Mahendra Mala” Subhas Tamang, says that he used stone carving to portray Mahen­dra Mala from the perspective of a Tamang who was forced to accept the mainstream and discriminatory account of his culture through the educational system established by the Panchayat-era government.

Mekh Limbu, creator of the piece “How I Forgot my Mother Tongue Language”, says that adoption of a single language—Nepali—in the cur­riculum resulted in the loss of many stories, memories and rituals that are associated with native languages of the indigenous communities.