The sixth iteration of the Nepal Exhibition of Fine Arts, organised by Nepal Lalit Kala Pragya Pratisthan,  commenced at Nepal Arts Council, in the Capital, on Wednesday.

President Bidhya Devi Bhandari was the chief guest at the programme. During the event, she was joined by dignitaries like Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Bal Bahadur Mahat; Ambassador of Israel to Nepal, Yaron Mayer; and Vice Chancellor of Nepal Lalit Kala Pragya Pratisthan, Sharada Chitrakar.

The programme saw participation by veteran and aspirant artists from all of the 75 districts of the country. The exhibition has a variety of artworks—Mithila, thanka, contemporary, modern, and traditional painting—on display. Also on display are a number of sculptures, photographs, videos and handicrafts.  The exhibition boasts a variety of all the art forms—most of which are on sale. 

The earthquake that rattled the country left the organisation in shambles as well. “Nepal Lalit Kala Pragya Pratisthan will soon get demolished and for a year, all the staff members have been working under a tent in the compound at Naxal itself,” Sharada Chitrakar, Vice Chancellor of the organisation, said. She mentioned that despite their premises being under construction; they still always wanted to promote arts and encourage artists; hence, the exhibition being relocated to the Nepal Arts Council.

Artist Jeevan Maharjan, who has awards for two consecutive years at the event, won a National award in his field this year. His sculpture of a four-handed god, Mahankal, for which he was awarded, took him one-and-a-half year to complete. “It’s been an honour to receive an award for my contribution to this field for past three consecutive years. This definitely is an encouragement and it pushes me to work better,” Maharjan shared. 

Along with Jeevan Maharjan, artists Karma Yangzi Lama, Raju Shrestha, Biku Kumar Thapa were awarded for their contributions to their respective fields. 

Norbu Lama, an acclaimed thanka artist, was felicitated with the Lifetime Achievement Award by Bal Bahadur Mahat. 

Speaking during the event, Mahat shared, “It’s a privilege to be invited in this event, the country needs more of these events to felicitate artists for making lives better and colourful with their contribution to the society.” He insisted that artists need to showcase more of their local culture and tradition in their work rather than being similar to any other international artists. 

President Bhandari, who was the chief guest at the programme, addressed, “It is a great accomplishment for all Nepalis. I am grateful towards the organisation for awarding all the aspirant artists; it is necessary to support the art scene in the country. These artists are invaluable jewels and it is essential to encourage them.” She added that, currently Nepali artists are creating a niche for themselves internationally, which is a matter of pride for all Nepalis. 

The exhibition will continue until April 29.