My Vision for Nepal | To establish Nepal’s first global art village

To establish Nepal’s first global art village

 

Three ways to realize the vision:

1) Persuade the government to build the needed infrastructure.
2) Ask other countries to come establish their own divisions, as we have done in Lumbini.
3) Promote the culture of large sculptures that will draw global attention to Nepal.

My vision for Nepal stems from my early love for arts, fine arts especially.

Our house used to be filled with the paintings my grandfather and my father collected and tried to copy them. That’s how I initially learned to doodle. Soon, I was going to art classes. Growing up, I never faced financial hardships. But I had other challenges.

None of my relatives or friends was in this field and thus I struggled for inputs. But I was lucky to have great teachers. I am where I am today because of them.  

I am a competitive person. I have till date won every national-level award related to fine arts in Nepal—except for the national award granted by the Nepal Academy of Fine Arts. I am determined to get my hands on that one too.

About my field, after 1950, Nepali artist started copying European artists and forgot their own culture, which was a disgrace. I think this owed to their schooling as many of them went abroad for art studies and came home with foreign ideas and styles. But what I see is more and more new Nepali artists determined to preserve Nepali customs and traditions in their paintings, which is something wonderful. One way I want to boost this tradition is by establishing a global arts village, which is also my vision for Nepal.   

The global art village will provide a platform for cultural exchanges in all creative disciplines. It will be a community that blends art, culture, and consciousness and offer artists in-residence programs, classes, and special events and workshops.

The goal is to promote art and culture and in addition, provide special live-in facilities to local and global artists, musicians, poets, performers, and entrepreneurs and also to help them sustain themselves. Their creative inventions and research in turn would help the whole world.

The village, as I envision it, will have gardens and lawns for various recreational events. Moreover, it will have study rooms to be used by resident artists and students attending classes and workshops. Other attractions will be a studio, dance studio, music studio, accommodations, performance hall, exhibition space, seminar hall, playground, and a museum.

The village will help preserve arts and culture while also promoting tourism. I’ve always considered myself a patriot. The village will be my contribution to the country as it will create vital jobs and create other opportunities for national development.

I wish it to be a one-of-its kind town in Nepal, a town built with the help of modern technology somewhere in rural Nepal, but under the supervision of traditional and cultural experts. The global village will consist of every facility a town has, such as schools and universities, hospitals, housings, art galleries, movie halls, malls, carnivals, museums, art residence, and theme parks. The common motif of all will be the blended representational arts.

The place will be blessed by nature and when we add other manmade creations to it, it will come to be globally recognized. Wouldn’t it be wonderful for Nepal to be recognized as a vibrant place for arts and artists of all kinds?

Quick Questions:

Who is your favorite Nepali painter?
Sashi Shah, my teacher and mentor. He is an atheistic artist whose paintings almost come to life.

Since when have you been painting?
Since I was 13. At 18, I was competing at national-level tournaments.

One piece of advice you’d give to new artists.
Keep working hard and one day you will make it big. Do not run after money. If you are qualified, it will come naturally. I see new artists wanting to make money immediately. I am afraid they are jeopardizing their future.