Nowthere

CURATORIAL NOTE

‘Nowthere’ brings together works by eight contemporary artists who have collaborated with the traditional Paubha artists of Nepal. While each artist explores a theme that is of immediate concern to them such as responsibility of power, memory and history and the use and enjoyment of it in common spaces, these artists come together in a place that gives them freedom to transcend the socio-political as well as the geographical boundaries standing between four nations of South Asia: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Essentially a traditional art form of Nepal, the Paubha paintings blend seamlessly with the myriad etchings, pencil drawings, watercolours and prints comprising the multiple elements of ‘Nowthere’ and eventually accentuate each of these artworks. The subtlety and delicacy of the Paubha traditional motifs veritably imbue artists’ concerns and emotions with an impactful voice. The detailed crafts that have been deployed to arrive at the final, finished work, evoke a multitude, an ethos, a kinship that is united in these narratives.

The project evolved over years of discussion with these eight artists deciding to merge energies to create an entire set of paintings emerging as a unique potpourri, which is a synergy between the past and the present as represented by the varying techniques of contemporary art forms and the traditions of Paubha art. The multiple layers of personal encounters or myths and fables or intrinsic self-observation or even emulation of important personalities forms an interesting set of artworks, which bridges the gap between time, space, geography and personal identities. The project culminated into ‘Nowthere’ with its first viewing at Gallery Latitude 28 when the Founder/Director, Bhavna Kakar visited Kathmandu with artist Seema Kohli in the summer of 2018 during the residency project and observed the making of these synergetic creations by the artists’ with Paubha painters.

This is akin to a leap of faith in the amalgam of techniques and methodology with the association of contemporary issues and an artistic technique of yore wherein events as recent as Nepal earthquake in 2015 forms the narrative in Maria Waseem and M Pravat’s creations, whilst for others it could be moments of reminisce, of musings and romance as in Sauraganga’s etchings or even a process of introspection and intrinsic shadow play as in Prithvi Shreshtha’s artworks.

M Pravat recalls how a few years ago, the Nepal residency project was conceived after a simple phone call from a friend, wherein they decided to commence the project in the picturesque valley of Nepal owing to its natural beauty and conducive ambience wherein work and play would go hand-in-hand. He confessed that he had no knowledge about Paubha artists before embarking on this project but upon researching on the internet and speaking to the local populace in Nepal he discovered that they relied heavily on the traditionally revered motifs of the five elements of air, water, earth, sky and ether and believed that it was their faith in Lord Bhairon “which helped them survive the devastating 2015 earthquake.” This unfettered resonance with their religion and its spiritual influence on their lives and livelihoods drew Pravat to their work. Having digitally photographed architectural images for several years, he chose to depict the destroyed architectural structures from the earthquake, which were “embedded with transparent pigment of Paubha art. The fact that these craftsmen work continually and repeatedly was just like meditation and this coming together of the now with the then is what makes these images so unique, so exciting. Their craft has enhanced my work in the end.”

Bangladeshi artist Mahbubur Rahman draws his inspiration from iconic leaders of the world and particularly the South Asian arena wherein his earth colour and gold leaf sketches on paper feature the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, George W. Bush, Kim Jong-un and others, all sketches eventually embellished with Paubha arts.

Maria Waseem’s artworks are a fine blend of her tryst with photography in the city of Kathmandu, wherein she deftly captures both the old and new parts of the landscape and the juxtaposition of Paubha technique augments them with a metaphoric blend of the traditional art with modern photography techniques. Prithvi Shreshtha’s creations are a result of his reactions to the people of South Asia as well his own shadow and the artist believes that by using watercolours in tandem with Paubha art technique, he has connected with his ethnic roots.

In this series of work, Seema Kohli has pushed her own matrix to embrace the sacred vernacular of the subcontinent. Here, the spiritual draws attention to the necessity for harmony and a balance that the feminine being wears like a gossamer dress, a raiment that liberates her mind and body from the constraints of a patriarchal society. The inner person embrace all that is sacrosanct, its outward manifestation made visible through the use of symbols that recur frequently in her work. In this progression, Seema Kohli brings a refreshing candor to her practice, her women protagonists no longer fettered by the chains of either their body or mind. It is about yogini’s and dakini’s and about their feminine energy and her various manifestations, whether it is her paintings or her etchings.
Begum Tayeba Lipi has used the veil or the metallic mask as a metaphor to portray the subjugation of women through her pencil and gold and silver leaf creations on paper as she uses it deftly for articulating the issue of subjugation of women, suppression and misogyny in her country.

Sauraganga Darshandhari has chosen to reinforce intimate moments from her life by a technique so deeply rooted in spirituality, belief and history that makes them endearing and an emotional rendition of what the modern as well the traditional artists are striving to articulate.

Waseem Ahmed finally brings the essence of the whole project together. “The main concept of this project was to work with artists from different countries by involving local craftsmen of the region which we choose to work in and produce a new body of work. This allowed us to get a chance to learn from the craftsmen and give them also a chance to work with established contemporary artists of different regions, hence making it a learning process for both.” In his work he used images from past to narrate a story of present. The sculptures of war heroes, mythological gods of past from Greek and Roman times tend to narrate how the socio-political events of today are similar.

As the American thinker Joseph Fort Newton said, “Men build too many walls and not enough bridges.” It is perhaps projects like ‘Nowthere’, which are the proverbial bridges between the countries from where these multi-faceted artists hail, each one so unique in their craft and yet coming together for this synergized venture.