The inaugural exhibition at Kalashala in Sanepa brought 12 artists aged 17 to 32 together around the theme of jatra, the public festivals of the Kathmandu Valley.
The 2023 exhibition used painting, performance, sculpture, printmaking, photography and textile to interpret chariots, mask dances, music, crowds and ritual movement.
Festival rhythm across several media
Aarjan Tandukar used strong colour contrasts in Golden Hour, Jhyali’s Resonance and Ablaze to create the energy of a procession.
Bal Krishna Banmala, himself a practitioner of the Nava Durga Dance, painted a masked dancer. Kuntishree Thapa depicted women in traditional dress without facial features.
Kabir Kayastha worked through photography, Sony Rai through linocut and Sofia Maharjan through embroidery on local fabric.
Rato Machhindranath and the collective body
Several artists focused on the Rato Machhindranath Jatra.
Gallery founder Sudikshya Dongol used dots to represent the people gathering with unity and enthusiasm around the festival.
Maharjan embroidered a hymn while narrating the legend of the jatra in the background, joining handwork, language and inherited story.
Dhiraj Manandhar’s Bhaktapur series used orange and red to emphasise architecture of historical and cultural significance.
Suraj Shilpakar carved wooden figures including Maicha, a girl pouring alcohol in Newari style, and Gandarva, a boy playing music. Nirvita Shakya contributed performance art at the opening.
QR codes allowed visitors to access explanations of the works and artists’ intentions.
Jatra showed tradition moving through young minds rather than remaining fixed. Each artist approached the same cultural field differently, revealing how festivals continue to generate new images, technologies and personal narratives.