Sabita Dangol was passionate about painting ever since she was an adolescent but never thought of pursuing it as a career. “When I was young, I didn’t know that there are art colleges in Nepal. Later, I got to know about it from a friend and I made the decision to continue my studies in arts. Luckily, my family was amazingly supportive from the very beginning,” she says. She went on to earn her MFA degree in painting from the Central Department of Fine Arts, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu in 2013 and made art her career for the last 16-17 years.
Dangol started doing her ‘Couple Series' in 2016 along with her husband Ishan Pariyar who is also an artist. “My paintings are a celebration of the conjugal bliss of me and my husband and a personal meditative reflection on life in itself.”
Belonging to the Newar community, her work draws inspiration from that rich culture while also embracing the cultures of the Mithila and Himalayan regions. In her work, one can witness patterns and motifs that are from traditional and folk arts such as Paubha, Thangka, and Mithila.
“You can also see combs in my piece because I’ve also worked in ‘Kapal series’ (Hair Series). I started looking at combs as an appearance of life. So, for me a comb is the symbol of a solution In my point of view, while combing your hair, you try to untangle your twisted hair, likewise, we can also untangle our problems,” she informs.
Dangol appreciated art from a young age. She would attend every art exhibition that was possible. “I would never miss any,'' she reminisces. She further remembers how different things were back in the day. Artists struggled with many aspects from showcasing their talents, to being taken seriously, and even pursuing a career in it. “We had limited opportunities to exhibit our work. To do so, we had to pay money to even participate in competitions,” she says.
However, times have changed and things have come a long way from that. Not only does the younger generation have more platforms to showcase their talent, but more doors to new styles, techniques, and methods are opening for them due to social and digital media. Dangol believes both physical and digital art have their own significance and are equally beautiful, but according to her observation, people still tend to lean towards physical art.
“Today’s generation is very lucky, they have so many platforms to display their talent,” she says. She also points out the increase in the number of art schools and colleges at present. “We did not have the option to even dream of making a career in art as resources were very scarce. It feels great to see youngsters making their dream career happen,” she adds.
With opportunities everywhere, the youth now increasingly do attempt to make a career out of it. Dangol advises, “It is important to have a lot of patience and passion in this career. Frustration is out of the question,” she says. “If you maintain continuity and keep creativity alive, it isn't difficult to become a good artist,” she adds.
Despite significant development, Dangol says, there is still a lot more needed to make things better for art and artist. Compared to the speed at which international art is moving forward, Nepal still lacks far behind. “Many people still believe success only comes from professions like doctors and engineers,” she says. “But the truth is that you do gain respect and fame as an artist too. Success is bound to come if you work hard consistently,” she adds.
After working hard on their ‘Couple Series’, Dangol was finally able to display it after five years. The art series, which is on display at the Siddhartha Art Gallery right now is about 'Inclination of Souls' turning out to be a big success. She is now looking forward to doing a solo project. “Currently I am trying to find ways to bring newness to my work. I am thinking of ways in which I broaden my spectrum in art,” she says.
Since Dangol’s ‘Couples Series’ is a collaboration with her husband, working together was a fruitful and wonderful experience for her. However, she doesn't like how people look at the duo as a married couple and not two individual artists. “We were both artists before we got married. We both have our own individualism when it comes to art. But people sometimes fail to see us like that,” she expresses. “I have not personally seen or experienced gender-based discrimination in my career. But I just wish people saw me and my husband as two artists and not just a married couple,” she adds.
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