KATHMANDU, March 27: The walls of Nepal Art Council in Baber Mahal are currently reminiscent of the devastating earthquakes that rocked Nepal last year.
But not all of the paintings, which are part of artist Jyoti Prakash BK’s sixth solo exhibition titled ’11:56 AM’ depict stories of destruction and despair. He has portrayed the structures reduced to rubbles in their entirety, giving the visitors a dose of hope. In other works, a mother is seen carrying relief materials while her children are eating food, depicting lives that are slowly recovering from the tragedy.
In another painting, priced at Rs one million, clippings of condolence messages published in newspapers after the earthquake have been arranged to resemble a flower. “Rs 100,000 from the sale of this artwork will be handed over to the family of Sonish Awal, the infant who miraculously survived the earthquake. I will help rebuild a school brought down by the earthquake with the remaining money,” BK informed. He also calls for government agencies to buy the particular painting, because ‘this reflects that particular day in Nepal’s history and I don’t want some foreigner to own it.’
Similarly, Mt Everest, temples and stupas, pigeons, and Buddha used in his paintings symbolize the patience and resilience of Nepalis.
The exhibition will conclude on Monday, March 28.
