The Weeping Banyan is an exhibition of 10 artworks by American Visual Artist Maureen Drdak, a Fulbright scholar pursuing her fellow­ship in Nepal. Seven of her artworks employ lapis lazuli (a gem) and palladium and blend them with graphite draw­ings. The other three employ a more complicated combi­nation of copper repousse metal integrated with paint­ing, ‘a material synthesis’ pioneered through her study with Master Rabindra Shakya of Patan.

At first, one could be bewil­dered trying to decipher the meaning behind the art­works. But on introspection, what appears to be a random stroke of brushes gradually make sense.

The exhibition is a “visual meditation on environmental degradation” inspired by a banyan tree Maureen saw in the nearby Kalikasthan. Con­strained from growing into its natural form, the tree’s roots became hanging appendage of tree mass. Maureen drew a parallel with Kathmandu’s development and its spite for nature. The result: the Weep­ing Banyan.

The exhibit at the Contem­porary Art Gallery, Taragaon Museum, runs through Feb 24.