President inaugurates 6th national fine arts exhibition

Kathmandu, April 20: President Bidya Devi Bhandari inaugurated the 6th National Fine Arts Exhibition-2073 amid a programme organized at Nepal Art Council, Babar Mahal here today.

Since the building of Nepal Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) sustained damage due to the devastating earthquake on 25 April 2015 and is now in a dismantled state, the Exhibition was organized at the Nepal Art Council’s building.

A total of 334 artists have exhibited their 352 works of art representing all genres of fine arts, including handicraft, drawings, woodcraft among others, showcasing various country’s cultural aspects. The exhibition will last through May 13.

Inaugurating the Exhibition, President Bhandari said that art helps maintain the national unity. “Artistes are the pillars of the country. The country cannot attain prosperity unless the art is developed and promoted,” she argued.

The Head of the State opined that the artistes were the goodwill ambassadors who, through their work of art, depict the contemporary social issues.

Expressing her grief over the damage incurred to the NAFA building by the notorious 7.6 magnitude quake, she suggested the NAFA officials to take such activities to the nook and corner of the country.

On the occasion, artist duo Hari Prasad Sharma and Norbu Lama were feted with the ‘Lalitkala Pragya Samman’, an honor by NAFA for their contribution in the fine arts field. The award carries a purse of Rs 100,000 each.

National Fine Arts and Fine Arts special honours

NAFA has also presented the National Fine Arts Honour to the artists dedicated to fine arts sector. The recipients of this honour this year include Ishan Pariyar, Karma Yangen Lama, Jeevan Maharjan, Ram Krishna Suwal, Punam Kumari Das, Raju Shrestha and Ashis Joshi.

Likewise, those honoured with the Fine Arts Special Honour are Pradip Pal Saud, Bukku Kumar Thapa, Rabindra Shrestha, Hridayes Shahi, Maheshwar Dhungel, Tapa Bahadur Pun, Sapta Raj Bajracharya, Rabindra Manandhar, Sanyukta Shrestha, Laxman Mandal, Aradhana Chaudhary, Bhagawati Singh and Mahesh Shakya.

Similarly, Ashok Man Singh was honoured with the ‘Fine Arts Writing Award’ and journalists Dipendra Lama and Madhu Shahi were presented with the ‘Fine Arts Journalism Award’.

On the occasion, Minister of State for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Bal Bahadur Mahat urged for keeping the fine arts sector free from politics.

NAFA Chancellor Ragini Upadhayaya said that NAFA was constructing an international fine arts museum. She called on the government to treat all the Academies equally.

Vice Chancellor Sharada Chitrakar and member secretary Nawa Raj Bhatta said that artists from all the development regions of the country were represented in the art exhibition. RSS