On the occasion of International Museum Day, the Taragaon Museum in Bouddha inaugurated a contemporary art wing to their already extensive venue on Friday, May 19. As part of the opening, the gallery will be displaying works by 35 established as well as up and coming Nepali artists. Three performance artists also performed at the premises during the day’s proceedings.

 According to Museum Director, Roshan Mishra, the contemporary art wing is a welcome addition to Taragaon which already houses a large archive of research on Kathmandu’s cultural sites. Over the years, the Museum has hosted numerous art exhibits but those have always been one off events. However, with the inclusion of a new contemporary art wing, Taragaon is set on a new direction in terms of operation and will be looking to host a permanent collection of works from associated artists in the near future.

Mishra also mentioned that an artist’s studio for said artists (as well as selected applicants) is in the works and is soon to be incorporated into the Museum’s premises.

Originally built in 1972 under Austrian architect Carl Pruscha, the museum hosts an invaluable archive of over 50 years worth of research on cultural heritage conservation in Kathmandu valley. The archive consists of architectural and anthropological photographs, drawings, and written documents collected from mostly foreign artists and researchers who had visited Kathmandu in the latter half of the 20th century. The Museum also comprises documentation on restoration efforts taken to preserve Kathmandu’s numerous cultural and historical sites.