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Nature’s ‘art museum’ lacks art galleries

POKHARA, NOV 05 - The artists in Pokhara are still bound to make excursions to Kathmandu and other places for the exhibition of their creations for want of galleries and exhibition halls.
The first exhibition of arts in Pokhara was held some three decades ago at a cloth shop of Dilli Ratna Shakya situated at local Tersapati.
"It’s expensive, vexing and often risky to go to other places for the exhibition.
Awareness should be generated to match the colour of the paintings with walls, spotlighting the paintings, window ~ ~ lights, exhibition boards and protecting the arts," says a local artist.
"Normally, the size of a painting is of 10 square feet, but the larger the painting, the better it is as it can be seen from distance," he said.
"It is a matter of sorrow that there is not a single art-gallery in Pokhara, which in itself seems a Nature’s Art Museum with its all snow-white peaks, lakes and other natural blessings in abundance," he added. Both Nepalese and foreign artists hesitate to organise art exhibitions in Pokhara despite their keen interests due to the lack of good art-galleries, which is a fact that discourages the development and preservation of Nepalese arts and cultures, grumble local artists.
"Most of the artists choose Kathmandu for exhibition as there are well-equipped art-galleries and the press too creates a lot of publicity," said senior artist Durga Baral.
For the development and promotion of arts, Nepal Fine Arts Institute, Pokhara, was founded in 2028 BS, which later on was renamed as Purano Shilpi, Pokhara Artists’ Group and Creative Artists’ Group, Pokhara, respectively.
Some 35 artists have been involved in painting as their profession and other dozens have taken to it as their secondary job.
"Other means of earning should be sought as it’s difficult to live by making the painting and drawing a profession in Nepal," said Krishna Prasad Shrestha, who is involved in making paintings of different deities.
Due to the lack of art-galleries in Pokhara, the local artists are bound to organise exhibitions at local schools, Bal Mandir and even public places.
Recently, the local Dipendra City Hall and other halls are being used for the purpose of displaying arts/paintings though the lighting systems and other facilities necessary for the art exhibition are not available.
Meanwhile, the artists organised under the Creative Artists’ Group, Pokhara, have sought help from all the quarters for the construction of an art-gallery in Pokhara, for which they have already made plans and started fund raising.Posted on: 2003-11-04 09:24

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