EXHIBITION AT NEPAL ART COUNCIL - MARCH 22 UNTIL APRIL 2ND, 2024
After my adventures in Bangladesh, I arrived to Nepal to do a solo exhibition at the most important venue in Kathmandu. You can view the inaugural speech I delivered, alongside esteemed figures such as Pratima Rana (Director of the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust, Honorary Consul of Nepal in Italy, and a Knight of the French Order of Merit) and Prithivi Pande (Chairman of Nepal Investment Mega Bank and the most distinguished art collector in Nepal). Their speeches were equally remarkable and added significant depth to the event.
And this is how one of my PlatiGleam paintings looks like - with and without the mobile phone torch on. In a green room at the Nepal Art Council, of course! I displayed my nocturnal Batalha Monastery series, together with a new triptych about the Kathmandu Valley temples.
TALK AT NEPAL ART COUNCIL - MARCH 29, 2024 TALK AT NEPAL ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS - APRIL 5, 2024
I had the privilege of delivering a talk at the Nepal Art Council from 3 to 4:30 pm. The audience, a blend of academics, art historians, critics, and curators, provided a rich environment for discussion. Evidently resonating with the attendees, this engagement led to a subsequent invitation from Ragini Upadhayay Grela for me to speak and do a pop-up exhibition at the esteemed Nepal Academy of Fine Arts. Much like London's prestigious Royal Academy of Arts, this institution venerates both historical masterpieces and contemporary expressions. Soon, both talks will be available for viewing on my Youtube channel, allowing for a broader audience to engage with these discussions. I think I might have hit an important nerve during both talks.
TELEVISION AND NEWSPAPER INTERVIEWS
Many TV interviews and newspaper articles, predominantly in Nepali, highlighted my work. Notably, AP1TV, Image Khabar, and Image Channel hosted an interview conducted by Narendra Manandhar. The interview seamlessly transitions into English at key points: 1min20sec, 2min31sec, 3min11sec, and 3min48sec. I appreciated the journalist's attention to detail, especially in incorporating segments featuring the voices and guitar performances of my friends Cátia Alhandra and Tiago Valentim, as well as excerpts from the Bargue Course filmed with Renato Guerra:
Also, delve into the thrilling details of my recent exhibition in Nepal as journalist Aarati Ray from The Kathmandu Post interviews me. Discover the insights and highlights in this exclusive article for one of Nepal's most reputable newspapers. Read now!
https://kathmandupost.com/art-culture/2024/03/31/a-new-technique-of-artistic-expression
POP-UP EXHIBITIONS AND FILMING OF A NEW DOCUMENTARY
Documentarians Nikesh Shrestha and Sarb Esh are currently in the final stages of editing a comprehensive documentary that captures the essence of my artistic process - as I painted the mesmerizing PlatiGleam triptych against the backdrop of the Kathmandu Valley Temples at night. The documentary also delves into the exhibitions where my paintings were showcased, with notable pop-up displays at prominent locations such as Patan Durbar Square, Kathmandu Durbar Square, and Kumari House. These exhibitions drew in crowds of enthusiastic art enthusiasts and curious onlookers, totaling in the thousands, all eager to witness the PlatiGleam effect firsthand. For a glimpse into this captivating experience, a short video has been released, offering a sneak peek before the full documentary premieres on my YouTube channel in the near future.
BARGUE DRAWING COURSE AT KALASHALA - MARCH 30TH UNTIL APRIL 3RD, 2024
OPEN STUDIO - APRIL 3RD, 2024
I also conducted a 5-day Bargue Drawing Course attended by students from Kathmandu University's fine arts departments and Tsering Art School at Shechen Monastery. The course, held at Kalashala, focused on the timeless art of charcoal drawing, emphasizing mastery of Classical French techniques dating back to the 19th century. Renowned as one of the most impactful drawing courses in Western art history, the Bargue Course refined the skills of numerous 19th-century artists within the Academic realist tradition. Following the course, we hosted an open studio event to showcase the participants' achievements to the public.
NEXT STOP: SAUDI ARABIA
And now, I've just arrived to Thuwal. I'll be doing another talk tomorrow and will be teaching a series of art courses at King Abdullah University, near Jeddah. You will be updated on this new adventure as well. It is a country that surprised me greatly and even led me to write a whole post on some of the enchanting people I've met in there. If you enjoy reading poetic prose, then please check my blog post about Saudi Arabia.
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