On Friday, October 6th, you are invited to join for the opening reception of Bishal Manandhar‘s exhibition “Emotional Walls… from Nepal” which depicts the devastation of what was left behind after the earthquakes of 2015 hit. We will offer snacks and light refreshments as you mingle with the artist and guests and view these heart wrenching pieces.
Artist Statement:
“I am a Chicago based, non-traditional still life artist from Nepal, who tries to see the deep meaning in simple objects. In my first solo exhibition, ”Behind Closed Doors”, I painted traditional doors and door locks from the three historical kingdoms of Nepal. These paintings were abstract representations of doors I had photographed in different areas of the capital city, Kathmandu. Since moving to the United States, I have been an active participant in Chicago’s art scene by showcasing my work in various exhibitions. More recently, I have begun to explore the curatorial aspects of professional art by participating in the Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellowship at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Art has always been my lens to the world which is why the paintings I am presenting here have such meaning for me. In 2015, 2 massive earthquakes hit my country and brought great devastation; eventually taking more than 10,000 lives. I went back to Nepal shortly afterwards and created a series of paintings and prints as a way to come to understand the earthquakes and their aftermath. When I was there personally seeing, feeling and experiencing the trauma after the earthquake, it was quite heartbreaking. I continued to see empty places and collapsed buildings everywhere I went. It shocked me and often I found myself frozen on the street before the site of such damage. It created a feeling of emptiness within me, which I tried to explore through my work. Having finished this deeply personal series, I held another solo exhibition in 2016 called “Emotional Walls”…what’s left behind… at Taragoan Museum, Hyatt Regency, Kathmandu, Nepal. In this exhibition, I depicted the remains of buildings from the devastation and the emotions and attachments behind them. True to my preferred method, all the paintings and linoleum prints were roughly based on my own photography.
Every artist takes inspiratihttp://cnfsusa.org/wp-admin/post-new.phpon from their surroundings, whatever they may be. Therefore, in the works that I am showcasing here, I am portraying very simple subjects; the remains of the buildings that once meant so much to their owners. To them, those buildings were a world in themselves, but one which we can easily ignore in our day to day lives. I want to make visible the emotions attached to these walls by my small efforts. By portraying the damage done in my home country, I hope to memorialize all that we have lost, and perhaps, and to remind the world that there is still much rebuilding work to be done. I also hope that knowing that the Nepali people have overcome such terrible disasters will remind Americans of their own strength in the face of the recent hurricanes and give them a sense of hope for the future.”
If you don’t get a chance to see this exhibition during opening reception, all the art pieces will be up to view from September 29th through November 10th.
Details:
When: 10/06/2017
Where : Heartland Cafe ( 7000 N Glenwood Ave, Chicago, IL, 60626)
Time: 5 PM to 8 PM
You can RSVP here.