Where would I be at 5pm on November 15, 2011 if I was in Kathmandu? That's easy--I would be in Gyaneshwor at the Fulbright Commission Auditorium. The Fulbright presentations are well researched and very interesting and I would like to encourage you, if you are in Kathmandu, to attend. The details of the program is posted below from the e-mail I got from Fulbright.
F U L B R I G H T F O R U M
" The Prakriti Project:
A Pioneering Synthesis of Newari Repoussé and Contemporary Painting"
Speaker - Ms. Maureen T. Drdak, Senior Fulbright Researcher of Art
Date - Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Time - 5:00 p.m.
Venue - Fulbright Commission Auditorium, Gyaneshwor
Abstract
Taking its name from the Sanskrit word prakriti, signifying both physical matter and the primal creative force that shapes it, Maureen Drdak’s Prakriti Project is the first synthesis of contemporary painting and the metal art of traditional Newari repoussé, a technique in which sheet metal is hammered from both sides to produce a three-dimensional bas-relief.
Drdak is working both at her studio in the Patan Museum, and in the Patan atelier of contemporary master of Newari repoussé, Raj Kumar Shakya, to continue and advance her study with Raj Kumar's brother Rabindra Shakya. Both men are grandsons of the venerable Kuber Singh Shakya, the acknowledged historical master of repoussé. The Kuber Singh Shakya family lineage of artists and scholars, patronized by the Malla rulers, is traceable back to Abhaya Raj Shakya, founder of the Mahabouddha Temple in 1601.
The significance of The Prakriti Project lies in the creation of a genuinely new art form resulting from the mergence of specific materials, artistic practices, and cultural traditions. It represents a unique contribution to the vocabulary of the visual arts, evidencing the unexplored contemporary applications of this venerable and ancient art form, addresses the relevance of qualitatively endangered material techniques to contemporary art practices, and furthers the dynamic expansion of cultural boundaries and the ongoing artistic and cultural dialogue between the Asia and the West. It serves as a model for future investigations of the expressive potential for contemporary art inherent in Nepali traditional practices.
Drdak is creating a major artwork demonstrable of this synthesis, to be exhibited at Siddhartha Art Gallery in Kathmandu in January 2012. She will exhibit jointly with her guru, Rabindra Shakya, in order to exemplify the linkage between master and student, traditional legacy and contemporary form. Drdak’s work, Flying Nagas, takes as its theme the protective serpent deities of the Kathmandu valley; among the Naga’s many powers and blessings is the ability to alleviate drought--a growing problem for Nepal--beset as it is by the accelerating effects of global warming. Closely associated with the health of the environment, and symbolic of the integration of opposites, the Naga is a beloved and powerfully relevant symbol for Nepal and for this project, one which speaks with authenticity and eloquence to the Nepalese people and to their current environmental concerns.
Drdak explains her work and its genesis, introduces the audience to the repoussé form and process, its contemporary masters, and presents her work progress to date. A Power Point presentation rich in visual imagery and photos will accompany her presentation.
Taking its name from the Sanskrit word prakriti, signifying both physical matter and the primal creative force that shapes it, Maureen Drdak’s Prakriti Project is the first synthesis of contemporary painting and the metal art of traditional Newari repoussé, a technique in which sheet metal is hammered from both sides to produce a three-dimensional bas-relief.
Drdak is working both at her studio in the Patan Museum, and in the Patan atelier of contemporary master of Newari repoussé, Raj Kumar Shakya, to continue and advance her study with Raj Kumar's brother Rabindra Shakya. Both men are grandsons of the venerable Kuber Singh Shakya, the acknowledged historical master of repoussé. The Kuber Singh Shakya family lineage of artists and scholars, patronized by the Malla rulers, is traceable back to Abhaya Raj Shakya, founder of the Mahabouddha Temple in 1601.
The significance of The Prakriti Project lies in the creation of a genuinely new art form resulting from the mergence of specific materials, artistic practices, and cultural traditions. It represents a unique contribution to the vocabulary of the visual arts, evidencing the unexplored contemporary applications of this venerable and ancient art form, addresses the relevance of qualitatively endangered material techniques to contemporary art practices, and furthers the dynamic expansion of cultural boundaries and the ongoing artistic and cultural dialogue between the Asia and the West. It serves as a model for future investigations of the expressive potential for contemporary art inherent in Nepali traditional practices.
Drdak is creating a major artwork demonstrable of this synthesis, to be exhibited at Siddhartha Art Gallery in Kathmandu in January 2012. She will exhibit jointly with her guru, Rabindra Shakya, in order to exemplify the linkage between master and student, traditional legacy and contemporary form. Drdak’s work, Flying Nagas, takes as its theme the protective serpent deities of the Kathmandu valley; among the Naga’s many powers and blessings is the ability to alleviate drought--a growing problem for Nepal--beset as it is by the accelerating effects of global warming. Closely associated with the health of the environment, and symbolic of the integration of opposites, the Naga is a beloved and powerfully relevant symbol for Nepal and for this project, one which speaks with authenticity and eloquence to the Nepalese people and to their current environmental concerns.
Drdak explains her work and its genesis, introduces the audience to the repoussé form and process, its contemporary masters, and presents her work progress to date. A Power Point presentation rich in visual imagery and photos will accompany her presentation.
