Organised jointly by Art Kerala Muzris and Creative Women Organisation of Nepal, a five-day long art exhibition, Lines of Realization, kicked off on Tuesday at Nepal Art Council in the Capital.

Featuring a total of 39 artists from the South-Indian state of Kerala and Nepal, the exhibition, as its curator, VN Manoj puts it, aims to “bring Kerala-ian and Nepali traditional works together to observe and celebrate the differences and similarities between the two art traditions and in doing so exchange bilateral understanding.”

Speaking to the Post, Manoj said that the current exhibit is also a medium, for him personally, to sample the contemporary Nepali art trend.

“When I observe Nepali paintings,” Manoj proceeded, “I find that more and more of them are based on subjects such as the Himalayas and Buddha. And religion, of course, since Kathmandu itself is a city of temples.”

Manoj went on, “In Kerala-ian art, the subjects don’t appear to be much different either. As you can see, the works are also based on either characters from Hindu mythology or on the nature.”

As one samples the Keralian pieces, one can see that most of them feature the paintings of women, sorrounded with stark hues, like works of Kumud Singh. One also observes landscapes, like GN Madhu’s depiction of pastoral Kerala or Sandeep KS’s Cityscape, which features the city of Venice as its subject.

For instance, one piece, titled Ganesha, by Jijulal VM, looks like a plain portrait of Lord Ganesha sitting on his aasan. “This piece might be an epitome of the kind of works popular in Kerala,” curator Manoj explained, “It is most notable for its use of a distinct colour that one gets by mixing soil with the tree roots. It’s very popular among the artists there.”

Aruna Hingmang, chairperson of the organisers Creative Women’s Organisation of Nepal, said that after coming across some artists in Kerala through social media, the organisers held discussions and came to the conclusion that an exhibit featuring their works could strengthen the cultural linkage.

The exhibit will continue till May 6.