Where history meets contemporary art

The Music Art Gallery in Lalitpur, Nepal, is currently showcasing 'Mythical Real: A Visual Journey into Shared Consciousness,' an exhibition that brings together the diverse talents of seventeen artists.

Running from July 17 to August 17, the exhibition delves into the profound and enduring relationship between humanity and the natural world as depicted in Nepal's rich tapestry of mythology, rituals, and belief systems. The artists interpret hybrid and mythical figures not as ancient relics, but as vibrant, living expressions of a collective consciousness.

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These projects were initiated to understand the nature of Nepali modern art through its own sociocultural foundations.

The featured artists, including Anil Shahi, Balkrishna Banmala, and Chandra Shyam Dangol, work across various mediums such as painting, sculpture, and mixed media. Their collective belief centers on the idea that human existence is part of a larger continuum where memory, animals, landscapes, rituals, and culture are deeply interconnected.

Curator Saroj Bajracharya stated that the projects were initiated to understand Nepali modern art through its own sociocultural foundations. He emphasized that modernity should not be viewed as separate from history, but rather as deeply intertwined with inherited rituals, myths, philosophies, and collective memory. 'Mythical Real' thus offers a thoughtful exploration of the dialogue between myth and reality, the past and the present, humanity and nature, and the visible and the invisible.

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Rather than viewing modernity as detached from history, they propose that contemporary artistic consciousness remains deeply intertwined with inherited rituals, myths, philosophies, and collective memory.