Traditional Newari art exhibition in London

Nepali artist Sanyukta Shrestha’s traditional painting based on the story of Simhala Sartha Bahu will be exhibited at a mainstream contemporary stage in London from Wednesday.

Works of as many as 50 artists, most of them award winning British, are on display under the theme 'Spring at the Smokehouse' curated by Art Catcher Ltd at Forman’s Smokehouse Gallery for a month.

The exhibition includes painting, print, photography, moving image and 3D works. The show was shortlisted as London's best for April 2012 by 'Time Out First Thursday', and organised in partnership with 'East Village London'.

A computer engineer by profession, Shrestha (32) started as a contemporary artist in the early 90s and did his first solo exhibition in Kathmandu in 1996.

“I started researching in Newar authentic art forms in 2008. I have only recently started exhibiting my works publicly,” the London-based artist said.

“My purpose was to introduce our traditional art to the contemporary audience and to try and open up a new market,” he said, expressing his hope that this will help open a new gateway to traditional Nepali art.

Shrestha used mixed media on traditional Nepali Lokta paper to prepare the painting titled ‘The Enlightenment’.

A Newar merchant in Kathmandu in ancient times, Simhala SarthaBahu is believed to be one of the many past lives of Buddha. He is revered as Chaka Dyo even today in the Vikramshila Mahavihar, commonly known as Bhagwan Bahal, in Thamel. The Kathmandu Valley-based Pradhan community members consider him as their ancestor.

According to Shrestha, the Mahavihar displays painting based on Sartha Bahu's life story every year. "Unfortunately, that one is not genuine. The original painting was smuggled out of the country and is currently in a German museum," he said.

Shrestha informed that his painting was made in six weeks after researching for two months. He referred to many technical papers, books and purana translations (Karanda Vyuha and Gunakaranda Vyuha) where his story is narrated.

source: The Himalayan Times,7 April 2012