The UKNFS is very pleased to provide this announcement from Mr Saroj Mahato and our friends at the Bikalpa Art Centre (BAC), Kathmandu (Patan, Pulchowk) — https://www.bikalpaartcenter.org/ — as the BAC continues to be at the cutting edge of supporting the vision and values they and the UKNFS share on the importance of Nepali arts and their sharing and profiling at global level.
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A Portal to Nepali Contemporary Art after COVID-19
The global pandemic COVID-19 creates quite a fiasco in our lives. From lockdown to self-quarantining we had nowhere to go. Ergo, there was also the lockdown in any creative outlets as well. No exhibition, no workshops, and no events. However, life has to move forward. Even though the pandemic still continues, this has become a new way for us to live our lives. A New Normal.
Bikalpa Art Center is delighted to announce our brand new project, an online store with an open exhibition and launching of the store website, ‘A Portal to Nepali Contemporary Art After COVID-19’. The main intention of this exhibition is to provide a portal or gateway for recognition and acknowledgment for the Nepali contemporary artists and their art. It is high time that Nepali artists have gained a global appreciation and a medium to demonstrate their creativity.
We want our artists to thrive in national as well as international markets and gain the outstanding reputations their creative genius deserves.
Nepal has a great diversity in culture, ethnicity, traditions, religions, etc. There will be contrasting artwork on the basis of varying backgrounds of the artists. We want to support our artists by providing them a platform through which they will be able to promote, publicize, exhibit, or even sell their artwork.
Bikalpa Art Center (BAC) – UK Nepal Friendship Society (UKNFS: www.uknfs.org) friendship, especially via the Nepal International Arts Programme (NIAP) — https://creativenepal.co.uk/ — since 2015 after the devastating earthquake in Nepal, has been extraordinary, and together we have achieved certain goals.
‘The UKNFS is really proud of our relationship with the BAC, whose vision of Nepali creative genius is exactly the same as our own. We strongly commend this exceptional initiative of Saroj Mahato ji and his BAC team. We are also currently completing an information resource on Nepali culture that we look forward to provide through the BAC later this autumn when finalised. This will give further support to BAC’s global level educational and artists of the world mutual learning and sharing of creative inspiration, ground-breaking work.
Alan Mercel-Sanca, UKNFS Chief Executive Officer and NIAP lead.
I believe, in this particular time after COVID-19, that this initiative will certainly play a badly needed catalyst role in bringing social cohesion, fostering creative science and democratic values, freedom of expression, solidarity, and respect of all human dignity and beyond.
Since COVID-19 has also affected the art community adversely, we are anticipating a remarkable shift in the contemporary art community after COVID-19. Despite the pandemic, we want to continue emphasizing on building a better forum for Nepali Contemporary Artists globally.
Bikalpa Art Center always focused on providing a platform for Nepalese Artists and like-minded people. The main purpose of starting an online store is to create a narrative, contemplate, and endorse Nepali Contemporary Art, Culture, and Lifestyle to a wider range of audiences – globally.
Additionally, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has not been any indication of opportunities for the Nepali Artist to showcase their work. We are not entirely sure when the pandemic will be over. This is why we thought about doing something in this pandemic that could be easy for the audience to view as well as the artists not having any excuse to sit idle.
It is a remarkable time to collaborate together to build a medium that can be a global sensation in the future. Therefore, we welcome you to be a part of our journey to create a sustainable medium for artists and all the people affiliated to Bikalpa Art Center. We would also like to open our doors to anyone who wants to collaborate with us and for any kind of future opportunities.
Program detail:
Date: 31st July 2020
Time: 3:00 pm
Venue: Online [at] www.bikalpastore.com Physical [at] Bikalpa Art Center, Pulchowk, Lalitpur, Nepal