MoNA's first annual art festival held at Thamel

The Museum of Nepali Art (MoNA) held their first annual art festival today at Kathmandu Guest House Dream Garden, Thamel. The festival was an effort to bring Nepali art and artists to the limelight and also to support children battling cancer.

Thirty-three renowned Nepali artists came together for the day-long ‘live-art congregation’.

The event was kicked off by popular actor Rajesh Hamal at 12 pm.

“The world is attracted to our tradition and art. Therefore it is very important to preserve our originality. MoNA Annual Art Festival is a small effort to bring Nepali art and artists into limelight”, Hamal says. “Nepali culture and art is very unique. It is good to see modernization and western influence in our art, but we should not forget our roots”, he adds.

Other than promoting Nepali art and artists, the art festival also was a kickstarter for the idea of promoting Saat Ghumti, Thamel’s west end into an area focused on art and culture. The Art Street is the first attempt of promoting and dedicating a specific area into an intellectual, cultural and artistic district in Nepal. It also aims to promote Nepal as an art destination.

The start of the Art Street coincided with the inauguration of the Kathmandu Art House (KAH), a studio and art gallery where diverse art forms and styles practiced by living Nepali artists is shared under one roof.

The live artwork created during the event is available for purchase by the public. Part of the proceeds of the sale will go to support children fighting cancer at Kanti Children’s Hospital, Kathmandu.

22 year old Manish Dhoju was one of the artists in the festival. He realized that watercolors were not just a thing in his childhood.

“I wanted to draw something that looks like photographs,” he says. Dhoju learnt hyperrealism art through Google and YouTube videos. He used graphite (pencil), charcoal and white highlighter pen to create his art. “I used the white highlighter for the beard because it is very difficult to pull out white highlights from charcoal”, he adds.

Sangee Shrestha, a contemporary artist used minimal colors and lines in her art. It may look simple but it carries a deeper meaning. “The darker shades in my painting represent the sadness of life. The lighter shades and the upward spiral is an inspiration to not lose hope during difficult times in life”, she says.

Jeevan Rajopadhyaya started his journey by doing landscapes in his early days. These days he is into abstract painting. “Nature never fails to inspire me. There are so many things in nature to be inspired from”, he says.

Binod Gautam, a stone carver was also present at the festival. He learnt stone carving skills at Swayambhunath. “I have been working as a stone carver for about 15 years now”, he says. Today, many of Gautam’s creations are on display in different museums.