Art Beyond Borders: Sangeeta Thapa on Contemporary Art from Nepal

Recorded on 24 May 2021.

Joining us for the first episode of ASAP Cast is Sangeeta Thapa, the founder chairperson of the Kathmandu Triennale and the director of the Kathmandu Contemporary Arts Centre. Thapa has witnessed first-hand the evolution of Nepal's art scene since 1987, when she set up the Siddhartha Art Gallery in Kathmandu.

As Nepal's borders opened in the 1950s, the country was considered a treasure trove of traditional and religious art. However, for years after, this became the stereotype—a place where skilled artisans created works of exceptional beauty. When Thapa came to live in Nepal and set up a gallery in the 1980s, bucolic landscapes and images of Nepal's architectural history were the most popular subjects being addressed by resident artists. With the start of the Nepalese Civil War (1996–2006), artists began to react to the political and social realities around them, producing more socio-politically engaged works. However, Thapa points out that two recent international exhibitions of Nepali art were held in ethnographic museums. Thus, it seems to suggest that the world still has trouble reconciling Nepal's past and present art worlds.

This conversation was recorded during the pandemic's (relative) peak in the last few months—when travel was inadvisable and the internal conditions of both countries were dire. We are grateful to Thapa, who took the time to record this cast from her home, and for continuing to reflect on the ongoing conditions surrounding culture. 

_{(Featured Image: Pleasant to Look At [II]. Relief by Kabi Raj Lama. 2020. 60 × 48 centimetres. Image courtesy of Sangeeta Thapa.)}

The ASAP Cast series is supported by the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts.