PRESS RELEASE
KATHMANDU TRIENNALE
March 24 – April 9
Peter Downsbrough HERE, 5.10.2016, bird's eye view of Kathmandu valley
The Siddhartha Arts Foundation (SAF), Kathmandu, Nepal, and S.M.AK. (the Museum of Contemporary Art, Gent, Belgium) announces the inaugural edition of the Kathmandu Triennale (KT 2017), which opens on 24 March 2017.
KT 2017 will be curated by Philippe Van Cauteren, artistic director of S.M.A.K. (Museum for Contemporary Art, Ghent, Belgium). The exhibition My City, My Studio / My City, My Life will host approximately 70 artists from about 25 countries. The theme of the Triennale will be a catalyst for a contemporary reflection on the relationship between art, the city and its heritage. The exhibition is dedicated to the people who lost their lives in the earthquake that hit Central Nepal on 25 April 2015.
The title of the Kathmandu Triennale My City, My Studio / My City, My Life reflects the strong and complex interaction between art and life in this city. The studio, as the symbolic locus for the artistic practice, is exchanged for the city. The city as a platform and working ground for artists, the context in which most artistic practices are rooted. If one looks at the art history of the last few centuries, one sees that avant-garde movements or artistic innovations have always taken place in cities. Capital cities seem to be the significant context for change. This is not only true for art, but also most social, political, and cultural changes are related to the hive that is the city. In Nepal, Kathmandu also occupies a specific position in these aspects. If one only considers the population growth of the last 15 years – the population almost doubled to about 1,200,000, it becomes clear that this city has undergone drastic changes. Let's forget about the stereotypical nostalgic idea of when Kathmandu was a hub for hippies and the like. Today, Kathmandu is a city where the challenges of tradition and modernity meet. Through the heavy pollution and dense traffic of this wonderful city, one still finds plenty of moments where ancient traditions (religious and other) organize life. The city of Kathmandu is an exceptional and inspiring research station where artists from Nepal and other countries can develop their work independent of the burden of the art world. For artists in this city the art world – as most know it – is replaced by life or, for many of the inhabitants, even by survival. The exhibition therefore articulates the multiple and complex interrelations between the artist and his practice and the city as a metaphor for life. Kathmandu as a framework, as a piece of chequered paper to which the artists contribute, add visions and ideas to complement the organic growth of the city.
Some artists directly address the notion of the city, reflecting elements of urbanism and architecture in their work. Others reflect on the city as a social organization, a living and changing organism built by people of different social and cultural backgrounds. In each case, elements of the city of Kathmandu are taken as building bricks for the artistic creations.
Whatever stance the artists take, they all respond immediately to the context of Kathmandu. The choice has been made to bring as many as possible of the participating artists to Kathmandu itself. The experience of the city stimulates them to respond in a direct, fragile, and sincere way. Moving between the city and the studio, the first Kathmandu Triennale is a tribute to the city and the artist.
For months prior to the opening, different organizations and collectives have been working on a full-scale outreach programme to children and youngsters at schools in Kathmandu. The exhibition and the participating artists have been the starting point for numerous workshops and encounters. Thanks to these efforts, about 1500 children have taken part in workshops related to art and the city.
Most artists were invited to create newly commissioned works for the specific contexts of the 4 main exhibition venues:
Patan Museum: the ancient royal palace of the Malla Kings of Lalitpur is a building in the typical Newa architecture, now a museum where this unique architecture houses a collection of religious objects made in the traditional local crafts.
Siddhartha Arts Gallery: founded by Sangeeta Thapa and Shashikala Tiwari in 1987. The gallery’s major goal is to show Nepali contemporary artists in an international framework. Sangeeta Thapa is also chairperson of the Kathmandu Triennale.
Taragaon Museum: one of the first modernist yet contemporary architectural structures in Nepal. Designed by the Austrian architect Carl Pruscha, the building project was initiated by a group of women to operate as a hostel for foreigners. Many of them who settled here still recall this area as a “Star-Village” or Tara Gaon. The museum was opened to the public in April 2014. It exhibits ethnographic photography, architectural drawings of Nepal’s heritage, maps, old landscapes, urban sketches, drawings, and etching.
Nepal Art Council: Nepal’s official exhibition space for contemporary art. The large and splendid building lends itself to a wide variety of exhibitions. Nepali Art Council was established in 1962 as a national institution, with the prime objective of promoting the art and artists of Nepal. The current building was inaugurated in 1991.
In addition to this central exhibition, KT 2017 is hosting Curated Showcases or independent exhibitions by institutional and individual partners from Qatar, Bangladesh, UK, Finland, Poland, and Australia. The programme includes series of pre-event ‘encounters’ such as workshops, master-classes, and other means of educational outreach.
The Siddhartha Arts Foundation takes pride in announcing that Francis Alÿs has consented to be the Patron Artist for the inaugural edition of the Kathmandu Triennale.
Artists participating in The City, My Studio / The City, My Life are:
Alice Fox, Amrit Karki, Ang Tshering Sherpa, Anno Dijkstra, Ashmina Ranjit, Bart Lodewijks, Belu Simion Fainaru, Birendra Pratap Singh, Bhuwan Thapa, Bidhata KC, Bikash Shrestha, Cai Guo-Qiang, Carole Vanderlinden, Ciprian Muresan, Diana Tamane, Francis Alÿs, Gery De Smet, Heide Hinrichs, Henk Visch, Hitman Gurung, Honoré d’O, Javier Tellez, Jorge Macchi, Jupiter Pradhan, Kader Attia, Kailash K Shrestha, Karan Shrestha, Kasper Bosmans, Kiran Maharjan, Kunjan Krishna, Laxman Bazra Lama, Laxman Karmacharya, Lee Kit, Leonardiansyah Allenda, Leyla Aydoslu, Lida Abdul, Loïs Weinberger, Mahbubur Rahman, Majd Abdel Hamid, Manish Lal Shrestha, Martin Travers, Masae Suzuki, Massimo Bartolini, Mekh Limbu, Michael Ross, Mithu Sen, Nedko Solakov, Oscar Murillo, Paulo Climachauska, Peter Downsbrough, Pratima Thakali, Prithvi Shrestha, Ricardo Brey, Roman Ondak, Ronny Delrue, S.C. Suman, Salam Atta Sabri, Sanjeev Maharjan, Saurganga Darshandhari, Setsu Suzuki, Sheelasha Rajbhandari, Shilpa Gupta, Song Dong, Sujan Chitrakar, Sujan Dangol, Sunita Maharjan, Surasi Kusolwong, Tayeba Begum Lipi, Tushikur Rahman, Waseem Ahmed and Youdhister Maharjan.
The exhibition takes place from March 24 to 9 April 2017. For more information about the exhibition and the ambassador program or inquiries about the event: kt.artmandu.org
ABOUT COLLATERAL EVENTS & CURATAED SHOWCASES
Title: City/Home: Built/Unbuilt
Venue: Tangalwood, Tangal
Visiting Hours: 10 - 7pm
Exhibition Description: Qatar has the highest number of Nepali migrant workers who have made Doha their ‘home’. This exhibition seeks to find the narratives of belonging, memory, and self-centered around the city and its unbuilt or rebuilt spaces. By bringing together Nepali artists and Doha-based artists in dialogue with the local communities with the city as catalyst, the aims are to examine the layers of narratives that emerge within the lived space.
The research based curatorial project, with 3 Qatar-based artists and 3 Kathmandu-based artists deals with the issues of home, identity, belonging, migration, and labor in context of the CITY: local / global (Qatar/India/Bolivia). Artists' worked specifically with 30 migrant workers in their exploration of city and place, and this is the first time that Nepali artists had access to the place, where much of their own work was located.
The exhibition will be inaugurated by His Excellency Mr. Yousif Mohammed Al Hail, Ambassador of Qatar.
Featured Artists: Abdulla Al-kuwari, Carolina Aranibar-Fernandez, Emelina L Soares, Hit Man Gurung, Mekh Limbu, and Sheelasha Rajbhandari.
About Curator: Dr. Dina Bangdel is a historian of South Asian and Himalayan art. She also studies issues of gender and identity in South Asian contemporary art and film. Dr. Bandgel is is an Associate Professor and Director of Art History at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar.
For any questions or remarks: dbangdel@vcu.edu
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Title: Upheavals
Venue: Park Gallery
Visiting Hours: 10 - 7 pm
Showcase Description: Upheavals examines the polar notions of change and perennity through the lens of 3 generations of artists from Bangladesh. One of the fastest paced economies of the Asian continent and indeed of the world, Bangladesh is also a repository of cultural and religious traditions. Upheavals uses this paradox of universal consequences as a starting point. It further delves into the specific layers of complexity that form Bangladesh's current, unfinished identity through the voice of various artists.
Featured Artists: Dhali Al Mamoon, Shishir Bhattacharjee, Mutafa Zaman, Zihan Karim, Marzia Farhana, Promotesh Das Pulak, and Razib Datta
About Curator: Bengal Foundation was set up on the belief that exposure to the arts and culture lend a certain enlightenment and erudition - bettering quality of life, society as well as the country. The core undertaking of the Foundation is to create awareness in, and encourage the practice of, the arts in all its adaptations and to uphold a positive image of Bangladesh by disseminating information about its cultural wealth.
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Title: Shortwaves Film Festival, KT 2017 Editon
Venue: Alliance Francaise
Description: Short Waves Festival takes place every year in more than 30 Polish and some international cities. It focuses on the promotion of Polish short films, inviting the audience to vote for their favourites. The Festival programme is diverse and includes not only narratives, documentaries and animations, but video arts and music videos as well.
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Title: Urban Hacks at KT 2017
Locations: Itum Bahal, Pim Bahal
Description: Urban hack aims to co-activate public places through interventions that speak to diverse potential uses of space and their users. Activation will take the form of three exhibits — platforms, scaffolding and storytelling — and observed to further understand how people interact with and relate to these spaces.
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Title: ART (OF) JOURNEY - TEAM.WORK
Visiting hours: 2:30 - 5PM, 27 March (official program)
Daily tours at every full hour: 3PM, 4PM, 5PM, 6PM (evening tour)
Meeting point: Chanki Saako Road, Sundhara
Showcase Description: Team.Work for KT 2017 aims to find ways of collaboration between Polish artists and culture-makers with the members of the Sa: ko Community of Sundhara, Patan. The actual process and methodology of the art-journey covers the preparation of travel, variety of communication challenges on the way and working on site. Activities with the community includes: workshops, discussions, public performances, meetings, screenings, small journeys, and tours, site-specific engagement co-created with members of community.
About Curator: Krzysztof Łukomski is a PhD-lecturer and curator of various art-events.
He works in the field of art-education where he researches methodologies of process-oriented approach, interdisciplinary and performative experiences of art, community-based practices, psychology and choreography of art-reception, communication design, and mobility of artists.
For any questions or remarks: 9813693020 or e-mail curator.focus.air@gmail.com
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Title: Treasure of Nepal
Venue: Nepal Tourism Board, Exhibition Road
Visiting Hours: 10 AM - 5 PM
Showcase Description: Treasure of Nepal is an exhibition produced in cooperation with the Lahti Museum of Art, Finland. It documents the Nepalese craftspeople in the intimate spaces where they work in the city of Kathmandu, and includes portraits of people who create these works as well as examples of traditional crafts created in the Kathmandu valley.
The exhibition open on March 22.
This exhibition links the past efforts of Kathmandu International Art Festival to the new format of Triennale.
About Curator: Gary Wornell is a ceramic artist, artist photographer, master printmaker, photojournalist, author and independent curator. A Canadian citizen, Gary has lived for expansive periods in the UK, Finland and Nepal. Currently he divides his time between Finland and Nepal.
For any questions or remarks: garywornell@gmail.com
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Title: Kathmandu
Venue: Basantapur and Nanglo, Kamaladi
Public Installation: 22 March, 5:30 onwards
Nanglo Visiting Hours: 10 - 7 pm
Showcase Description: Kathmandu is a public art work. A microphone is installed in Kathmandu Durbar Square. The artist invites the public to pledge to preserve the culture and heritage of the city by simply saying their name into the microphone. The artist then turns the sound into circles of light and projects the light into the physical space. The work then moves into a gallery context accompanied by Ltd Edition Prints.
About Curator: Gaynor O’Flynn works across disciplines to create interactive performance, public interventions & limited edition works. Rooted in contemplative techniques, her work respects ancient wisdom reinterpreting it for the modern world.
For any questions or remarks: gaynor@beinghuman.com
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Title: Being In A Body (Performance Art)
Date: April 1, 2017
Location: Basantapur
Showcase Description: In March 2017, for the Kathmandu Triennale, five women artists, Marie Julia Bollansée (Belgium), Monali Meher (India- the Netherlands), Alice Fox (Britain), Ashmina Ranjit (Nepal), and Ryan Elisabeth Reid (United States) will collaborate in collective creativity. This group invites young Nepali artists to formulate a proposal: “Being in a Body”, as a part of the Triennale. This selection focuses on the development of the concept behind a performance and the idea of being in a body in this space and time.
Featured Artists: Marie Julia Bollansée. Alice Fox. Monali Meher. Ashmina Ranjit. Ryan Elisabeth Reid.
For any questions or remarks: ashmina@gmail.com
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Title: Atlier for Artists, Bungamati
Venue: Newa Chen
Visiting Hours: 10 - 7
Showcase Description: Sculptures by artisans-in-training at Atelier for Artists, Bungamati. Woodcarving is a common practice in Bungamati with at least one person per household practicing the craft. Taught by Guru Laximan Tuladhar Maharjan the first group of 7 apprentices trained at the Atelier showcase their skills and learnings.
About Curator: Atelier for Artists is funded by the Dutch group, Artists for Nepal and jointly implemented by One to Watch Nepal and Kathmandu University School of Arts. It was established in the wake of the earthquakes of 2015 to conduct applied training and workshops with the objective to support local artisans of Bungamati.
For any questions or remarks: swati.pujari1@gmail.com | https://www.facebook.com/bungatelier/
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OUTREACH & GUIDED TOURS
KT 2017 has dedicated programs, considerations, and initiatives designed for children, young adults, educators, and families designed by partner Srijanalaya. KT 2017 Education Outreach is intended to expand existing perceptions of art and its role in our lives. Activities are designed to deepen people’s engagement with participating artists, their artworks, and processes.
Community Spaces
Major venues: Nepal Art Council, Taragaon Museum, and Patan Museum - have community spaces that are hubs for creative activities.
For individuals and families, we welcome walk-ins. There are fun exercise sheets, a reading corner, interactive installations, art materials, and an exchange space for your artworks.
For groups, we host structured activities with lots of discussions, such as tours, and art workshops. For age 10+ yrs (Class 5 to elderly people). Please book group activities by calling 9841333789.
Guided Tours
Guided tours are available at venue with commuity spaces twice a day, at 11AM and 2:00PM. We provide an exercise sheet that guides each person to interpret artworks for themselves. Tours explore the theme, ‘The City’, and the role of the artist.
Creative Art Workshops
Art workshops offered include: urban weaving, drawing our city, building mobiles out of paper, creating a ‘mini-city’ from waste materials, book reading/drama, and a writing workshop.
Contact 9841333789 if you are interested! We accept drop-ins but prefer bookings.
Reading Corner
Each reading corner has a collection of illustrated children’s books and features an illustrator’s work. Bal Sahitya Mahotsav or Children’s Literature Festival is taking the lead on this with contributions of books from both Room to Read Nepal and Srijanalaya.
Children’s Art Exhibits at CAM and Artudio
One month before the Triennale, fourteen different groups conducted workshops inspired by KT 2017 artists. Over 1400 people participated in these workshops, took place in diverse spaces in Ktm Valley and in Mugu, Sindhupalchowk, Dhading, and Jhapa. A sampling of the diverse processes and artworks are being exhibited at the Children’s Art Museum in Hattisar and Artudio in Chhauni. This will continue past the dates of the Triennale.
Radha Discovers Patan: An Interactive Map of Patan Museum
Text by Rishi Amatya and Illustrated by Suman Maharjan
Through an interactive map, children are guided through three of Patan’s World Heritage courtyards and an expansive garden. Children experience the city’s rich history and myth. These will be available at the Patan Museum Community Space.
For more information: email srijanalaya@gmail.com or call 9841333789.
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Title: A Night Walk in Patan
Dates: 29, 30 March 2017
Time: 7:00 pm onwards
Locations: Around Patan Durbar Square
Project Description: This audio-visual installation revolves around the experience of losing sense of identity by the act of walking in the dark. It is based off an incident in one of the artist’s own experiences and is intended to make audiences interact with their perceptions of architectural spaces and how they can be warped with certain influences.
About Artists:
Sana Nasir, is an international award winning illustrator and graphic designer, based in Karachi, Pakistan. She founded Designers United for a Cause, Karachi! (D.U.C.K!) and designs for narratives and festivals. She currently works at PeaceNiche, a community driven organization.
For more information: flickr.com/photos/sana-nasir
Daniel Arthur Panjwaneey is a musician based in Karachi, Pakistan. As ‘Alien Panda Jury’ he has released 2 EPs and numerous singles. He has been engaging the Nepali experimental electronic scene by co-founding a DIY-driven musical event, Sine Valley Festival.
For more information: http://soundcloud.com/alienpandajury |http://soundcloud.com/anaasir
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Title: Community Screenings: Ether Antenna
Venue: Nepal Communitere
Showcase Description: Inspired by Buddhist tales and set to the tune of Pauline Anna Strom’s astral electronic soundscapes; Ether Antenna is a short film that follows the story of some 10 robot characters on a surreal journey through Nepal. Fusing spirituality with robotics this cybernetic story exploits humanity’s paradoxical affinity between technology and ecology.
Ether Antenna will be screened at community and public spaces around Kathmandu with Bato Ko Cinema. Public are invited to a special screening at Nepal Communitaire, Pulchowk at 5:30 pm, 2 April.
About Artist: Michael Candy is an Australian artist who uses physical technologies to impart systems theory on ecology and sociology. His devices empower and translate closed systems into tangible medium. Candy made Ether Antenna in 2016 during a short residency in Nepal.
For more information: michaelcandy@gmail.com
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For MORE INFORMATION
Eline Verbauwhede | eline@smak.be | tel.: +32 (0)9 240 76 60 │ mobile: +32 (0)479 27 06 04
Sujan G. Amatya | sujan@artmandu.org | +977 9818239744
http://kt.artmandu.org/ | www.smak.be
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