• National
  • Politics
  • Valley
  • Opinion
  • Money
  • Sports
  • Culture & Lifestyle

  • National
    • Madhesh Province
    • Lumbini Province
    • Bagmati Province
    • National Security
    • Koshi Province
    • Gandaki Province
    • Karnali Province
    • Sudurpaschim Province
  • Politics
  • Valley
    • Kathmandu
    • Lalitpur
    • Bhaktapur
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • As it is
    • Letters
    • Editorial
    • Cartoon
  • Money
  • Sports
    • Cricket
    • Football
    • International Sports
  • Culture & Lifestyle
    • Arts
    • Brunch with the Post
    • Movies
    • Life & Style
    • Theater
    • Entertainment
    • Books
    • Fashion
  • Health
  • Food
    • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Investigations
  • Climate & Environment
  • World
  • Science & Technology
  • Interviews
  • Visual Stories
  • Crosswords & Sudoku
  • Horoscope
  • Forex
  • Corrections
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Today's ePaper
Saturday, May 10, 2025

Without Fear or FavourUNWIND IN STYLE

27.12°C Kathmandu
Air Quality in Kathmandu: 79
300+Hazardous
0-50Good
51-100Moderate
101-150Unhealty for Sensitive Groups
151-200Unhealthy
201-300Very Unhealthy
Sat, May 10, 2025
27.12°C Kathmandu
Air Quality in Kathmandu: 79
  • What's News :

  • Students' safety amid Indo-Pak conflict
  • PIA controversy
  • Benefits of Kaligandaki road
  • High containment unit at Teku
  • Kanchenjunga trail

Entertainment

Kirtipur as canvas

Often a work of genius is also a work of hubris. That said, a work of hubris, doesn’t necessarily make one a work of genius. Kirtipur as canvas
bookmark
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • Whatsapp
  • mail
Timothy Aryal
Published at : March 29, 2017
Updated at : March 29, 2017 09:17

Often a work of genius is also a work of hubris. That said, a work of hubris, doesn’t necessarily make one a work of genius. Take for instance, artist Amrit Karki’s work, Rectangle, currently on view in the historic citadel of Kirtipur, as part of the ongoing Kathmandu Triennale. Minimal in form, the work is a giant mural that connects a total of 21 houses in Kirtipur’s Nayabazaar, with a single thread of red paint.

The settlement of Nayabazaar, as it is, is a sight to behold. The houses are constructed in such a way that when you look at them all, sprouting hither thither on the hill, you’d be forgiven for thinking that they were the hundreds of houses making for an organic whole and not separate entities.

The structure had enthused artist Karki, since he first visited the area, some four years ago. “As I first glanced at the neighbourhood, it suddenly looked to me as if it was a giant canvas—I was drawn by the colours, various layers and its structure,” the artist said. “Since then, I had been toying with an idea in the back of my mind that one day I will make a painting with Nayabazaar as a canvas. And I worked at it, aiming to make it a part of the Triennale.”

For a majority of Kirtipur’s residents, Karki’s idea didn’t make much sense in the beginning. For the artist, it took long and hard to convince the locals; some agreed, while some outright rejected the idea, perhaps deeming it a work of hubris and nothing else.

Almost two months in the making, where the artist teamed up with two architects and scores of volunteers, the work is now ready and garnening widespread attention, inviting diverse interpretations. The work is the largest body of work at the ongoing art fest.

Karki is a recent graduate from Kathmandu University School of Arts. His last exhibit, titled Persistence, revolved around motifs of self and the art of perception, and had a slightly surrealistic tinge to it. But the present work, the artist says, is not bound by any particular motif or theme.

But what is the inspiration behind this simple but grand piece of work?

“It basically sums up the many impressions I come across as I travel the city. Rectangle is the culmination of my recollections about the city as I have felt them. And I tried to condense those feelings into this large, but minimal, work,” says the artist. “My works are basically the idea and needs not necessarily be functional.”


Timothy Aryal

Timothy is a copy editor for The Kathmandu Post. Previously, he was a reporter on the Features desk and deputy editor on the National News desk. He joined the Post in 2015.


Related News

Gauley Bhai announces their return with ‘Sunbari’
No star cast, no cost—just an iPhone
When Sonu Nigam sang for Kathmandu
Nepathya to tour the United States
Creators Mela 2024 kicks off in Kathmandu
What I Watch Online: Jane Dipika Garrett

Editor's Picks

Spotlight or sideline? Nepali sport’s social media dilemma
Deported by US, denied by Bhutan
National flag caught in politics. Experts call for clearer rules
Everest to no longer be anybody’s climb
Three generations devoted to care of Central Zoo animals

E-PAPER | May 10, 2025

  • Read ePaper Online
×
ABOUT US
  • About the Post
  • Masthead
  • Editorial Standards & Integrity
  • Workplace Harassment Policy
  • Privacy Policy
READ US
  • Home Delivery
  • ePaper
CONTACT US
  • Write for the Post
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Advertise in the Post
  • Work for the Post
  • Send us a tip
INTERACT WITH US
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
OUR SISTER PUBLICATIONS
  • eKantipur
  • saptahik
  • Nepal
  • Nari
  • Radio Kantipur
  • Kantipur TV
© 2025 www.kathmandupost.com
  • Privacy Policy
Top