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VOL. 03, NO. 12, Nov. 13 2009 (Kartik 27, 2066)
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Women: myth & reality
An art exhibition deals with the difficulties of women, trying to separate myths and realities in our understanding of them
By PRADIPTI BHATTA
When we look at the history we hardly see great contributions made by women. Great people, we come to know, are mostly men. Why? Is it because great women have been a rare breed in this world or the contributions made by women have gone unnoticed all along?
There is no doubt that women have had to face many hurdles on their path to progress and even today they are bound to live lives different from males. Ordeals that women have to go through in their lives might be something that only those who face might be able to understand. Far fewer can express them.
Those who can express the agonies of women by using the medium of art do so in way to make it understandable for many. Art tells a story which even a thousand words cannot tell.
This is what the exhibition titled “Separating Myth from Reality—The Status of Woman” seems to achieve. The show, ongoing in various places of Kathmandu and Patan, began on October 30. It will be held till November 10.
The exhibition is being held in six different places; Siddhartha Art Gallery, Nepal Art Council, Kathmandu Contemporary Art Centre, Patan Museum, Nepal Association for Fine Arts and Imago Dei Cage Gallery.
It is the first international exhibition being held in Nepal featuring a total of 108 artists, 37 of which are Nepali. Apart from Nepal, the artists contributing to this event are from India, Taiwan, China, Mauritius, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Palestine, the USA and the UK. All these artists have expressed their views on women through their paintings, photographs and installations.
Each piece of art shows a different aspect of women. All the works of art exhibited in this huge event are very artistic and hold a deep meaning. Some pictures and paintings show the difficulties in a woman’s life whereas some simply show how women see life. Most of the contributions made for the event show how women long for freedom which the society in many ways restricts them to attain.
The exhibition shows the status of women not only in Nepal but in various parts of the world. As the contributing artists are from different countries, their art works reflect the status of women in parts of the world where they belong. Most of the works focus on how women are unable to express their true selves as they are repressed by the norms of the society. Each piece of art is unique and tells a unique story of the status of women in that country.
The first of its kind, this exhibition has not only made way for future international exhibitions in the country but also helped familiarize Nepali tradition and culture through the portrayal of women art forms to the international artists.
