MaterialScapes
Exhibition of 6th solo collage paintings
@ Gallery 32, Dent-Inn, Heritage Plaza II
30 May – 30 June 2008
MaterialScapes
May 30, 2008 – June 30, 2008
Everyday, we come across various forms of materials. Many come in use for us and many do not. Many we notice. Some skip our eyes; and some, we forget. However, for our artist Gaurav, these materials were never forgotten. Each new day brought him new materials and new inspirations, that which turned into an art – a collage.
In this exhibition, we bring you a collection of such collages from Gaurav. Each of his painting is made from various kinds of materials. The materials play with each other and with Gaurav’s colors to give a blend of textures and expressions. Something new in every one of them. Like in nature, they start from a chaos, yet they present beauty in totality. Thus, they are named “MaterialScapes”.
Gaurav has been doing collage painting since last 8 years and this is his 6th solo collage painting exhibition. He has also been a part of many groups exhibition and art workshops, mainly with his group Infinity Group. With participation and winning entries in various art competitions he is very well known within the artists community in Nepal. Besides Nepal, his collectors are also located in India, Indonesia, Israel, France, USA, UK and Germany.
Curators,
Dr Prabigya Siwakoti and Mr. Shivendra Patrabansh
Gallery 32, Dent-inn
Gaurav’s Words
My Journey with collage started in 2000 though I began my art career in 1994 using pencil drawing and water color painting. Since then, I have been continuously working on collages with lots of variation in my works. I love creating collages using the various types of materials including the found objects and I have spent several hours experimenting with it. It is my belief that art is a metaphor for life and creating collages through innovative ideas give me the freedom to express myself in a unique manner.
The main theme of this exhibition is “MaterialScapes” which includes the varieties of paintings done in collage medium. I have used various types of materials such as different kind of papers including lokta, fabric, lungta (Prayer Flag), cardboard, packing box, calendar, posters, jute, keys, photos etc. I have given much importance to the texture in this exhibition to create unique and different effects.
MaterialScapes
ECS – July, 2008
Assorting shapes and pieces together to create substantial imagery is the brilliance of collage paintings. Collecting ordinary materials used everyday and transforming them into splendid pieces of artwork is the promising aptitude of the artist. In ‘MaterialScapes’ artist Gaurav Shrestha explores the basics of matters and materials and puts them into interesting collages. In this 6th solo collage exhibition of the artist, he creatively plays with different materials, basically highlighting their textures and details. He draws inspiration from materials that are used everyday bringing out their natural charm that usually go unnoticed.
From multi-colored geometric patterns, figurative sketches, symbolic entities to rural landscapes, Shrestha’s work assesses various themes and elements to the collection of over eight years. Shrestha has experimented with elements like Nepalese traditional lokta papers, prayer flags, cardboard, posters, jute and various other fabrics, calendars and even keys adding a unique edge to his work.
The use of bold colors, hues of gold and the collage of numbers and figures are significant in his paintings. The portrayal of prayer flags smeared in red and paintings with the faces of Buddha somehow delve into a spiritual realm among the varied subject matters freatured. The lattices of newspaper prints amazingly create village landscapes while the cardboard boxes give life to the portrayal of many other abstract figures. ‘MaterialScapes’ is an experimental collection of art work encompassing the richness of various materials and their textures.
गौरवका पदार्थीय कला
Rajdhani – June 7, 2008
काठमाडौं/रास- क्यानभास आफैंमा सुन्दर छन् । त्यसभित्र सिर्जना गरिएका चित्रले त मनै लोभ्याउँछ । तर ती चित्रहरू ब्रस र रंगको सहायताले सिर्जना गरिएका हैनन् । ती त विभिन्न रंगका कागजका टुक्रा जोडेर बनाइएका छन् ।
यस्तै प्रयोगवादी चित्रकलाले राजधानी कमलादीस्थित हेरिटेज प्लाजाको ‘ग्यालरी-३२’ सजिएको छ । यसै साताबाट प्रदर्शनी सुरु गरिएका यी चित्रहरू यहाँ अझै चार सातासम्म रहने छन् । ग्यालरीका चित्रहरू कलाकार गौरव श्रेष्ठले सिर्जना गरेका हुन् ।
करिब एक दशक भयो गौरवले चित्रकला थालनी गरेको । यो अवधिमा उनले आफ्नो परिचयलाई अन्तर्राष्ट्रियकरण गरिसकेका छन् । कलेज अध्ययनबाट सिर्जना सुरु गरेका उनले आफ्ना कलालाई युरोप र अमेरिकासमेत पुर्याइसकेका छन् ।
आफ्नो यो छैटौं एकल प्रदर्शनीलाई गौरवले पदार्थीय चित्रकला ‘म्याटेरियल स्केपस्’ नामांकन गरेका छन् । जसमा राखिएका कलाको सिर्जना पारम्परिक मान्यताबाट अलग रहेको छ । अरुले प्रयोग गर्ने कपडाको क्यानभास उनले आफ्नो कलाको प्रयोगमा ल्याएका छैनन् ।
क्यानभास छन्, तर ती कपडाका थिएनन् । जुटको बोरा, कार्टून बाक्सा, लोक्ता धागो, कार्डबोड, पुराना क्यालेन्डर, पूर्व प्रकाशित पोष्टरजस्ता विविध पदार्थमा फ्रेम हालेर त्यसलाई क्यानभास बनाइएका छन् । जसमा सिर्जना गरिएका चित्रकला पनि आफैंमा नवीन लाग्दछन् ।
यस्ता क्यानभासमा रंगी-विरगी कागजका स-साना टुक्रा टाँसेर मनोरम हिमाल, पहाड, विभिन्न रमणीयस्थलको दृश्य तयार गरिएको छ । ‘पिस अफ नेचर’ अर्थात् प्रकृतिको शान्तता नामका यी चित्रहरू करिब एक दर्जनको हाराहारीमा ग्यालरीमा राखिएको छ ।
पुराना क्यालेन्डरका मिति-तिथिलाई क्यानभासमा कलाको रूप दिएर उनले कलाप्रेमीलाई समयको महत्त्व दर्शाएको उनको कलामा देख्न पाइन्छ । कतै उनले क्यानभासमा चाबीलाई यत्रतत्र टाँसेर ती चाबीको माध्यमबाट हरेकको जीवनमा बन्धन हुने गरेको तथ्य केलाएका छन् ।
उनको कलामा अध्यात्म पक्षलाई पनि उठान गरिएको छ । वेदका श्लोकलाई क्यानभासमा श्लोकयुक्त पानासहित टाँसेर उनले भौतिक र अध्यात्मको मूल्यांकनसमेत गरेका छन् ।
सिंगो ब्रन्डलाई खण्डित ओमकारका रूपमा समेटेर तयार गरिएको उनको सो चित्रकला पनि त्यतिकै प्रशंसनीय छ । विभिन्न सात मुद्रामा समटेएको ‘द इभरलास्टिङ इन्सिरेन्स’ कला पनि प्रशंसायोग्य छ ।
भैरव कोलाज होस् या लामा मन्त्रयुक्त क्यानभास, यी सबैले कलाप्रेमीलाई शान्तिको अनुभूति गराउँछ । कला हेर्दा गौरवलाई धर्मप्रति आस्था तथा अध्यात्मवादी कलाकारका रूपमा जोकोहीले पनि मान्दछ। आफूले अध्यात्मवादको प्रशस्त अध्ययन गरेर त्यसलाई कलामा उतारेको उनले प्रकाश पारे ।
हुन पनि विभिन्न देवी देवतालाई उनले कलामा समेटेका छन् । कला सिर्जनामा गाढा रंगको प्रयोग गर्ने गौरव स्वभावमा पनि जोकोहीसँग पनि तत्कालै गाढासँग घुलिने विशेषता भएका छन् ।
व्यावसायिक रूपमा गरिएको प्रदर्शनीमा राखिएका चित्रकलाको मूल्य एक हजार पाँच सयदेखि ३० हजार रुपैयाँसम्मका छन् ।
कोलाजमार्फत सशक्त अभिव्यक्ति
Annapurna Post – June 6, 2008
हेरिटेज प्लाजाभित्र रहेको डेन्ट इनको भित्तामा झुन्डयाइएको चित्रमा बुध्दका विभिन्न रङका टाउकोहरू देख्न पाइन्छ । ‘रोड म्याप टु पिस’ शीर्षकको उक्त चित्रकला कलाकार गौरव श्रेष्ठले पोस्टरमा बनाएका हुन् । त्यसैगरी ‘इभोलुसन’ शीर्षकको अर्को चित्रमा अँध्यारोबाट उज्यालोतर्फ उन्मुख समयलाई देखाइएको छ । उक्त चित्रमा कलाकारले विभिन्न अंकको साथै क्यालेन्डरको टुक्राहरू पनि प्रयोग गरेका छन् । देशको समसामयिक स्थितिलाई पनि चित्रमा उतार्ने गौरवको ‘ब्लास्ट सेकेन्ड’ शीर्षकको अर्को चित्रकलामा ध्यानमा रहेका बुध्द विस्फोटमा परेकाले ठाउँठाउँमा चर्केको र धुवाँले छोपेको दृश्य देखाइएको छ । यसरी खराब वस्तुले राम्रोलाई सधैं थिचोमिचो गरिरहेको भए तापनि चित्रमा देखाइएको सूर्यमुखी फूलमार्फत कलाकार यस्तो हुनु हुँदैन भन्ने सन्देश दिन चाहन्छन् ।
यस्तै किसिमका भावले भरिएका कोलाज चित्रहरू निर्माण गर्ने कलाकार गौरव आफ्नोसामु रहेका हरेक वस्तुलाई चित्रमा समेटेर त्यसलाई एक सुन्दर कलाको रूप दिन्छन् ।
आफ्नै अभ्यासमा कलाकार बनेका गौरव विगत १४ वर्षदेखि यस क्षेत्रमा लागेका हुन् । अरूभन्दा सधैं भिन्न काम गर्न रुचाउने हुनाले गौरवले विगत आठ वर्षदेखि कोलाज चित्रहरूलाई नै निरन्तरता दिइरहेका छन् ।
गौरवको यो छैटौं एकल चित्रकला प्रदर्शनी हो । उनले आफ्नो पाँचौं प्रदर्शनी गरेको दुई महिना १९ दिनमा नै यो प्रदर्शनी गरेका हुन् । आफ्नो अघिल्लो प्रदर्शनीमा राखेका चित्र र यसपटकको चित्रमा प्रयोग भएका वस्तुदेखि तिनको अभिव्यक्तिसमेत फरक भएको उनको दाबी छ ।
मदन पुरस्कार पुस्तकालयमा फन्ट डेभेलपरको रूपमा कार्यरत गौरव घर फर्केपछि नियमित रूपमा चित्र बनाउने गर्छन् । अन्य कलाकारझैं उनलाई पनि चित्र कोर्नको लागि मुड आउनुपर्छ । तर स्टुडियोमा छिरेर रित्तो क्यानभास देख्नेबित्तिकै उनलाई जाँगर चलिहाल्छ ।
कलाकारिता भनेको एउता व्यवहारिक विषय भएकोले यसमा जति धेरै काम गर्यो उति नै संख्या र गुणस्तर बढ्दै जाने उनको मान्यता छ ।
गौरवले आफ्नो चित्रमा लोक्ता, कपडा, लुन्ता, कार्डबोर्ड, क्यालेन्डर, पोस्टर, जुट, साँचो, फोटोलगायतका सामग्रीहरू प्रयोग गरेर बनाएका हुनाले प्रदर्शनीको शीर्षक नै ‘मेटेरियलस्केप्स’ राखेका छन् । हरेक व्यक्तिले दैनिक रूपमा देख्ने सामग्रीमध्येका कैयौं त काम नलाग्ने भनेर फ्याक्ने गर्छन् । यद्यपि कलाकार गौरवका लागि भने ती हरेक वस्तु चित्र निर्माणका लागि प्रेरणाकास्रोत बनेका छन् ।
नेपालमा गणतन्त्र घोषणा भएको क्षणलाई सबैले आआफ्नो तरिकाले मनाए भने कलाकार गौरवले सोही प्रदर्शनीमा राखिएको ‘सेलिब्रेसन: लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र’ शीर्षकको चित्रमा रङ पोत्दै आफ्नो खुसी व्यक्त गरे ।
कोलाजलाई कलाको सशक्त माध्यमको रूपमा लिने गौरव यस क्षेत्रमा आफ्नो छुट्टै अभिव्यक्ति र पहिचान बनाउने चाहना राख्छन् । उनी स्वदेशीभन्दा विदेशी कलाकारको प्रदर्शनी हेर्न बढी रुचाउँछन् । यसको कारण खुलाउँदै उनी भन्छन्, ‘विदेशीले नयाँ प्रविधि प्रयोग गर्ने हुनाले त्यसमा सिक्ने कुरा धेरै हुन्छन् ।’ उनीहरूको काम मात्रै नभई संघर्षबाट पनि जीवनमा धेरै कुरा सिक्न सकिने उनको अनुभव छ ।
गितारबादनका शौखिन गौरव कोलाज चित्रकलाप्रति अन्यको पनि आकर्षण बढाउन चाहन्छन् । यही कारणले गर्दा आफ्नो समूह ‘इन्फिनिटी ग्रुप’ सँग मिलेर विभिन्न ठाउँमा चेतनामूलक कार्यशाला र प्रदर्शनी गर्ने उनको लक्ष्य छ ।
कोलाजमा रमाउँदै गौरव
Naya Patrika National Daily – June 3, 2008
गौरव श्रेष्ठको रफ्तार अरूभन्दा छिटो छ । त्यसैले आठ वर्षको अन्तरालमा उनको छैठौं एकल चित्रप्रदर्शनी सुरु भएको छ । ग्यालरी-३२ मा चलिरहेको उनको ‘म्याटेरियल स्केप्स’ नामक प्रदर्शनीमा ३८ चित्र छन् । तर, ती कोलाज शैलीबाट तयार पारिएका हुन् ।
उनले केही क्यानभासमा हल्का रङ खेलाएका छन् । तर, अधिकांश क्यानभासमा उनले हस्ताक्षर गर्न मात्र रङ र कुचीको सहारा लिएका छन् । वास्तवमा उनका चित्रहरू कागज, कपडा, चराको प्वाँखलगायत विभिन्न सामग्रीका टुक्राहरूका कोलाज हुन् । ती टुक्रालाई समग्रमा एउटा निश्चित दृश्य झल्किनेगरी संयोजन गरिएको छ ।
धेरैजसो कलाकार ढिलो काम गर्न रुचाउँछन् । तर, गौरव भने सकेसम्म छिटोछिटो काम गर्न चाहन्छन् । उनको तर्क छ, ‘छिटोछिटो काम गरियो भने छिट्टै परिपक्व भइन्छ ।’
चित्र बिक्री भएन भने कलाकारितालाई निरन्तरता दिन गाह्रो हुन्छ, झनै छोटो अन्तरालमै प्रदर्शनी गरिरहनलाई त चित्रको बिक्री उल्लेखनीय हुनैपर्छ । गौरवको द्रूतगति सम्भव भएकै उत्साहजनक बिक्रीले गर्दा हो । उनी भन्छन्, ‘मलाई बिक्री होला/नहोला भन्ने विषयमा चिन्ता हुँदैन किनभने मेरा कृतिलाई किनिहाल्ने एउटा नियमित जमात मसँग छ ।’ अझै एक महिना चल्ने गौरवको प्रदर्शनीमा टाँगिएका चित्रहरू हेर्दा जोकोही पनि झुक्किन्छन् । झट्ट हेर्दा रङको उचित परिचालन भएको चित्र लाग्नु नै उनको कोलाज शैलीको सफलताको प्रमाण हो । उनी त अझ आफूलाई देशकै एक्ला नियमित कोलाज चित्रकार मान्छन् ।
गौरव श्रेष्ठको MaterialScapes
Canvas Weekly – June 3, 2008
कमलादीस्थित डेण्टइनमा कलाकार गौरव श्रेष्ठको एकल कला प्रदर्शनीको उद्घाटन एक कार्यक्रमका बीच नेपालका लागि इजरायली राजदूत द्यान स्त्याभले गर्नु भयो ।
MaterialScapes शीर्षकमा भएको यस प्रदर्शनीमा कलाकार गौरव श्रेष्ठले विभिन्न समयमा रचना गरेका कोलाज माध्यमका कलाकृतिहरू राख्नु भएको छ ।
प्रदर्शनी जून ३० सम्म रहनेछ ।
Collage of angst and awe
The Kathmandu Post/City Post – June 2, 2008
His technique is uncanny, his concepts are peculiar, his creations are prismatic; Gaurav Shrestha’s paintings are surreally pragmatic. The colorful collages of Shrestha conjoin life’s fictional dispositions and delimitations with an abstractly realistic depiction.
Gaurav has been executing collage painting for almost a decade now. He believes that art is a metaphor of life and creating collages through innovative ideas give him the freedom to express himself in a unique manner.
Gaurav’s dissident creations have really helped to set him apart from the rest of the artists in Nepal and his paintings are unconventionally creating its own unique genre.
His 6th-“MaterialScapes”-solo collage painting exhibition is the furthermore testament to that. He has used every unconventional and unconceivable of materials to create one of the most phantasmagoric prosaic of paintings.
The solo art exhibition felt more like a vibrantly variant art competition. The artist had it all; semi-abstract, abstract, realistic, semi-realistic, modern and a quirkily interesting new method of landscape paintings. The embossed textures affectingly seem to blend in with emotions and expressions.
While most of the painters are busy depicting peace prevalent by painting humdrum images of white doves and flowers, Shrestha’s collaged painting-Blast II-was factiously painful. The photo collage, lokta and acrylic painting of fractured Buddha had blasted into pieces and from the fumes raised an evil figure while the pieces still held sunflower symbolizing hope in the angst of vehemence.
“Image of Love” limned Lord Krishna with real peacock feather adorning him with Radha lying inside his heart. Some of his paintings were geometrically shaped realist characters and he meticulously pieced in nature with bits and pieces of some magazine.
Lungta flag integrated into his scrapped acrylic textured creations called out religious symphonies of peace and happiness. ‘The Glam Factor’ denoted the growing modernism and aestheticism of the modish world.
His use of plastic jute for his celebratory painting of the dawning of the Republicanism in Nepal was bright and vivaciously enthusing. Other collages of Shrestha screamed out pains of devastations and detribalizing time, some shed tears of angst and loss of freedom, some gave hopes and aspirating of kaleidoscopic life, some gave motivational affluence of prosperity and opportunity.
Gaurav’s collage was not bounded to different uses of fabrics, texture of materials; his creations infused and effused human poignancies and jubilancy with flamboyant illustrations and methods.
The exhibition will continue till June 30 at the Gallery 32 at Dent Inn at the Heritage Plaza in Kamladi, Kathmandu.
Textured expressions
The Himalayan Times – June 1, 2008
KATHMANDU: For artist Gaurav Shrestha, coming up with creative ideas to create unique expressions in his collage is his freedom of expression. He has been into collage paintings for the last eight years and on May 30, his sixth solo exhibition titled ‘MaterialScapes’ was inaugurated at Gallery32, Dent Inn by the Ambassador of Israel to Nepal Dan Stav.
Shrestha uses different materials in his creations thus bringing ut different forms of texture and expression to each piece. In this collection also he has used materials like lokta, fabric, lungta (prayer flag), cardboard, packing box, calendar, jute, keys and photos et cetera. Acccording Shrestha, he has given much importance to the texture in this collection to bring out unique effects.
He has titled a painting ‘The Evolution’ and has pasted numbers form 0 to 12 and the first letter of the name of all 12 months in a red background. “In this particular painting I have cut out pieces of calendar and used numbers and letter which represents time.”
In another piece he has symbolised a situation where evil prevails over the good. He has used a photo of Lord Buddha praying but his face is covered by maroon colour. One can see a face of evil in that smeared colour and as per the artist this cloud of colour represents evil.
One piece titled ‘Image of Love’ has Lord Krishna while again ‘Anyol II’ has pieces of paper with numbers placed as hand of a clock. He also has number of pieces named Faces of nature, which have been made with bits and pieces of magazines pages.
The whole collection is rich in colours with bright hues of red, yellow and blue present in most of the creations.
The exhibition is on till June 30.
Shrestha’s ‘Material-Scape’ on exhibition
The Rising Nepal – June 1, 2008
Gaurav Shrestha, a young and very talented artist, has begun his sixth solo collage painting exhibition from Friday, May 30 at Heritage Plaza II, Kamaladi, Kathmandu. The exhibition will continue till June 30, 2008.
The exhibition was inaugurated by Dan Stav, the Ambassador of Israel to Nepal. In the exhibition there are thirty eight paintings which are the collections of collages from Shrestha.
His paintings are called “MaterialScapes” which is also the theme of the exhibition. Each of his paintings is made up of various kinds of materials such as different kinds of papers including lokta, fabric, lungta, cardboard, packing box, calendar, posters, jute, keys, photos etc.
Shrestha has been doing collage painting for the last eight years though he began his career in 1994 using pencil drawing and watercolor paintings. He loves spending several hours in experimenting on painting. He usually paints every day in the evenings after 7 pm. On Saturday mornings, he gets up and starts painting before washing his face. “Art is a metaphor for life and creating collages through innovative ideas gives me freedom to express myself in a unique manner,” says Shrestha.
He has also been a part of many group exhibitions and art workshops, mainly with Infinity Group. With participations and winning entries in various art competitions, he is very well known in the artist community in Nepal. Besides Nepal, his collectors are also located in India, Indonesia, Israel, France, USA, UK and Germany.
“Beside painting, I have been working in Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya, Patan Dhoka as a Font Developer,” says Shrestha.