i recently wrote a review of meena kayastha’s first solo sculpture exhibition. i think that for someone who hasn’t been to art shows in kathmandu, this would be a nice place to start with. well, of course artists and art enthusiasts should also have a look.
meena uses disposed materials in her works. she creates sculptures out of waste and these wastes range from bicycle parts to pans and nails and whatnot. why i would recommend this show to someone new to art is because her sculptures are made up of things that we recognize in our daily lives. these parts of junk are something we are familiar with and perhaps, you too could have disposed that bicycle wheel. we have used these objects and therefore, while they come from different contexts and situations and have their own histories, some where, somehow we might just connect with the things that make up the sculpture.
for instance in lyrics of the tap…we are of course, familiar with a tap…the bronze colored tap. would it remind you of something in your life? what would it make you think of? when we are approached with something we have never encountered in our real lives, it is difficult to connect with those images or sculptures or any visual art form. i feel that this exhibition helps viewers to connect with parts of the objects that are used in the sculptures.
it is unique in itself, in the local context, to see works sculpted out of junk. (internationally they are some big names who do) they were a few works at the national exhibition too and some of them were quite interesting, but aesthetically not so strong. here, at meena’s exhibition you get to see a whole body of works. although i would say that they are a little limited in terms of the variety of junk, it is a good body of works.
i really do want to see these works outside of the gallery walls though. somehow, i want to see them interact with nature..you know, like in the conditions they were found. leave them outside, let them rust…but of course, the artist has her own vision. her concept of giving them a new life, in a way, is justified inside the gallery walls. they are shiny and clean. her idea is to stop their process of aging.
on the other hand, i am the kind of person who enjoys history and the process of aging…i enjoy looking at the layers of paint that have peeled off on the crooked railings of the streets. old windows and doors…i thought of Binod Shrestha’s exhibition at yalamaya kendra in 2009. he had used some old doors. taken out of their original places, however, in tact with their histories and experiences. objects have their own histories…maybe that’s why i tend to collect some weird things that i find in the streets…
i haven’t really done much of sculpture. and of memories is probably the only one. oh there’s this other piece too…oh well. anyways, yeah…i collected all these things…some were things i found in the college roads and grounds…some belonged to me, some were gifts…i’ve blogged about this before too.
anyways, this one is about meena and yes, you should go see the show. it’s up at siddhartha art gallery in baber mahal revisited. if you’ve never been there…it’s like a five minute walk from the front entrance of singha durbar. you know that lane that leads up to hanuman than, next to the supreme court and horse stable thing…it’s in the lane to the right. you shouldn’t miss the complex. it’s up till september 9 think. meena said 7, but the postcard says 9. so use ur judgement i guess.
with love, from ktm 