BINOD PRADHAN - June 2012 - Siddhartha Art Gallery
BINOD PRADHAN - June 2012 - Siddhartha Art Gallery
BINOD PRADHAN - June 2012 - Siddhartha Art Gallery
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Collision<br />
<strong>BINOD</strong> <strong>PRADHAN</strong> - J u n e 2 0 1 2
I<br />
have known Binod since he was a student at the Lalitkala Academy. Over the last twenty years<br />
I have had the privilege of observing his evolution as an artist. He has participated in several<br />
exhibitions and projects organized by the <strong>Siddhartha</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>. In February 2006 he held a solo<br />
exhibition of his work at the <strong>Siddhartha</strong> which proved to be a very memorable one as it coincided with<br />
period of great political upheaval in the nation. His third solo show at the <strong>Siddhartha</strong> is titled “Collision.”<br />
Though the works are devoid of politics in content, and is based on the subject of global warming and<br />
climate change - we are strangely yet again at a critical juncture of political transition in Nepal.<br />
In 2009, his experimentation with colour was to lead to a series of surreal cityscapes suffused with an<br />
explosion of rainbow colours. Binod’s current series is a definite departure from the local cityscapes<br />
and Buddhist monuments. However his work has not drifted far from Hindu-Buddhist philosophy which<br />
propagates the idea of a kaliyug where human greed leads to wars and the annihilation of the world as<br />
we know it. This collision of human greed and nature is the subject of Binod’s new work. Recent climate<br />
change and global warming concerns are viewed as part and parcel of this collision. As a concerned<br />
global citizen, the artist composes landscapes of doom from his imaginaire. An incandescent palette<br />
captures a world at an apocalyptic precipice: rivers of glacial ice swallow up settlements, the sea is<br />
overturned, aquatic life is terminated, forests are plundered, human greed renders the air noxious and<br />
a mutant race is born. Even the divine hand, a repeated image in his works, is stunted here. And yet<br />
somehow the bizarre and blighted conditions fail to be threatening due to the heady play of colours.<br />
However it is important that we take note of the prophetic scenarios presented before us as Nepal is<br />
listed as one of the most vulnerable countries that will be impacted by climate change. It is therefore<br />
befitting that this exhibition is being held on Environment Day.<br />
It will be interesting to see what Binod does next, one thing is for certain, the storm in his canvases are<br />
a contradiction to otherwise the calm demeanour of this artist, my long time friend. .<br />
Sangeeta Thapa<br />
Director<br />
<strong>Siddhartha</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
<strong>June</strong> 5th, <strong>2012</strong><br />
Acknowledgements<br />
Kasthamandap <strong>Art</strong> Studio (family) , Earts Nepal, Susan Shrestha,<br />
Cabinet Shrestha, Sangeeta Thapa, Dr. Sanjeev Uprety,<br />
Tulshi Joshi, Friends and Pradhan Family Life is water 36 x 36 in I Acrylic on Canvas
LLike other members of Kasthamandap <strong>Art</strong> Group, Binod’s<br />
art has passed through various phases. His earlier work,<br />
inspired by the late Prashant Shrestha, showed the<br />
influence of Kiran Manandhar under whom the members of<br />
Kashtamandap group trained. Later, he painted artworks<br />
with spiritual motifs and luminiscent cityscapes with hints of magic realism.<br />
His cityscapes were painted at the juncture of fantasy and reality, and<br />
depicted both the solid reality of the external world and the insistence of<br />
fleeting, ephemeral desire. The current exhibition portrays his environmental<br />
concerns and shows how the profit motive of the market is destroying<br />
earth’s oceans and fertile lands; it also shows how capitalist modernity is<br />
exploiting nature to invite global disasters. Continental thinkers such as<br />
Immanuel Levinas and Jacques Derrida had argued that western civilization<br />
is based upon exploitation of Other(s), including racial and ethnic other(s).<br />
Contemporary eco-critics such as David Wood have expanded the theoretical<br />
model proposed by Levinas to argue that humanity as a whole has exploited<br />
the environment and turned it into its natural Other; an exploitation that<br />
has now boomeranged to haunt humans in the form of environmental<br />
disasters. Binod’s paintings in the current show, have given aesthetic<br />
expression to the Self/ Other dynamic as discussed by theoreticians such<br />
Misery of Birth 24 x 18 in I Acrylic on Canvas<br />
Receeding Forests 24 x 24 in I Acrylic on Canvas<br />
Collision 24 x 36 in I Acrylic on Canvas
The Ultimate Calamity 36 x 30 in I Acrylic on Canvas<br />
as Levinas, Derrida and Wood. In one of the paintings he has done this by<br />
portraying dead fish and fallen trees to depict a world turned upside down<br />
with corals in the sky. Another painting shows how grand monuments of<br />
human civilization, including the Eiffel Tower and the Stature of Liberty,<br />
might be destroyed by environmental hazards. The current exhibition also<br />
showcases the evolution of Binod’s art. His lines are no longer rigid, and<br />
colors flow freely to create amazing forms on his canvases. His forms are<br />
both expressionistic and surrealistic: they express his inmost feelings<br />
while simultaneously revealing intimations of a terrifying, apocalyptic<br />
future arising from collective human unconscious. The paintings seem to<br />
challenge the anthropomorphic world view of contemporary modernity<br />
by suggesting a world in which fish, fauna, animals and birds would have<br />
equal right to live and prosper. Our human centered world view has been<br />
responsible for the destruction of nature, and for turning both environment<br />
and other creatures as its Others(s). Binod’s paintings suggest that it is<br />
necessary to go beyond such perspective to rethink the binary division<br />
between humanity and environment, and to understand that nature is not<br />
out there in the world but inside, in the inmost core of each one of us.<br />
Dr Sanjeev Uprety<br />
Central Department of English<br />
Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal
Interconnected Nature - I 36 x 54 in I Acrylic on Canvas Interconnected Nature- II 24 x 54 in I Acrylic on Canvas<br />
The Song of Water 30 x 36 in I Acrylic on Canvas<br />
Poisened Air 30 x 36 in I Acrylic on Canvas
Chaos - I 36 x 30 in I Acrylic on Canvas Chaos - II 48 x 30 in I Acrylic on Canvas<br />
Chaos - III 36 x 30 in I Acrylic on Canvas
Robot Decree 54 x 36 in I Acrylic on Canvas Rivers of Ice 36 x42 in I Acrylic on Canvas
Suffering Sea 36 x 30 in I Acrylic on Canvas Suffering Sea 36 x 30 in I Acrylic on Canvas
Earth Mother 24 x 36 in I Acrylic on Canvas<br />
Strange Birth 36 x 30 in I Acrylic on Canvas
B i n o d Pr a d h a n<br />
Parents : Sri Hari Bahadur Pradhan & Srimati Ganga Devi Pradhan<br />
Birth place : Yangal Tole, Kathmandu, Nepal<br />
Bachelors Degree in Fine <strong>Art</strong>s,<br />
Fine <strong>Art</strong>s Campus, Kathmandu, Nepal<br />
Founder & Working <strong>Art</strong>ist,<br />
Kasthamandap <strong>Art</strong> Studio, Nepal.<br />
Solo Exhibitions:<br />
2002 : “Reminisense” at Park <strong>Gallery</strong>, Pulchowk, Nepal<br />
2005 : “The Solitude of Colour” at <strong>Siddhartha</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Kathmandu, Nepal<br />
2005 : “<strong>Art</strong>ist from Nepal” at Seoul, South Korea<br />
2007 : “Inner Faces” at The <strong>Art</strong> Shop, Kathmandu, Nepal<br />
2008 : “The Collection Show” at Imago-Dei Café <strong>Gallery</strong>, Kathmandu, Nepal<br />
2009 : “Sacred Spaces” at <strong>Siddhartha</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Kathmandu, Nepal<br />
<strong>2012</strong> : “Collision” at <strong>Siddhartha</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Kathmandu, Nepal<br />
Group Exhibitions:<br />
1992 : T.U Day <strong>Art</strong> Exhibition, Fine <strong>Art</strong>s Campus<br />
1992 : Human Happiness <strong>Art</strong> Exhibition, Srijana <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
1992 : Group <strong>Art</strong> Exhibition at Goethe Institute<br />
1994 : Group 37-<strong>Art</strong> Exhibition, Nepal <strong>Art</strong> Council<br />
1994 : Vision 51- <strong>Art</strong> Exhibition, Fine <strong>Art</strong>s Campus<br />
1996 : 26th National <strong>Art</strong> Exhibition, NAFA<br />
1997 : 27th National <strong>Art</strong> Exhibition, NAFA<br />
1997 : Inter Club <strong>Art</strong> Competition, GMSAP<br />
1998 : 28th National <strong>Art</strong> Exhibition, NAFA<br />
1999 : Rangalal Bangdel Smriti <strong>Art</strong> Exhibition, Nepal <strong>Art</strong> Council<br />
1999 : 29th National <strong>Art</strong> Exhibition, NAFA<br />
1999 : Four Men Show at <strong>Siddhartha</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
2000 : 30th National <strong>Art</strong> Exhibition, NAFA<br />
2000 : Painting on Poetic Expression, Bhanchha Ghar<br />
2000 : Kasthamandap Group Show at <strong>Siddhartha</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
2001 : 31st National <strong>Art</strong> Exhibition, NAFA<br />
2001 : Kasthamandap Group Show at J <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
2002 : “Children without <strong>Art</strong>” organized by Jasutara <strong>Art</strong> Foundation at NAFA<br />
2002 : Four Men Show at Srijana Contemporary <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
2003 : Charikot <strong>Art</strong> Camp Exhibition at NAFA<br />
2003 : Kasthamandap Group Show at Lazimpat <strong>Gallery</strong> Cafe<br />
2004 : Kasthamandap Group Show at <strong>Gallery</strong> Moksh<br />
2004 : Kasthamandap Group Show at Buddha <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
2005 : Anniversary <strong>Art</strong> Exhibition at Buddha <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
2006 : “Wearable <strong>Art</strong> Show” Kiran Bhawan & Garden of Dreams, Nepal<br />
2006 : Khulla Dhoka, <strong>Siddhartha</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
2006 : Loktantra, Exhibition at NAFA<br />
2006 : Kasthamandap Group Show, The <strong>Art</strong> Shop, Durbar Marg<br />
2006 : Kasthamandap Group Show, GTZ Office, Sanepa<br />
2007 : “Sangaalo” Group Exhibition, Nepal <strong>Art</strong> Council, Babar Mahal<br />
2007 : “International <strong>Art</strong>ist Day” <strong>Art</strong> Workshop, Kasthamandap <strong>Art</strong> Studio,<br />
Lalitpur<br />
2007 : “Amalgam” Exhibition organized by <strong>Siddhartha</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Kathmandu<br />
2008 : “Bagmati on Canvas” Group Exhibition by Friends Bagmati at NAFA<br />
2008 : “World Festival 2008” Group Exhibition by World <strong>Art</strong>s Forum<br />
2008 : Group Exhibition by Sutra, Nepal <strong>Art</strong> Council , Kathmandu<br />
2009 : “Brihaat Nepali Kala Pradarshani-2065”, Butwal , Nepal<br />
2009 : 15 th Kasthamnadap <strong>Art</strong> Studio, Anniversary show, <strong>Siddhartha</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
2009 : International Women’s Day, Group Exhibition, Hotel de’l Annapurna,<br />
Kathmandu<br />
2009 : “Creative Eyes” Group Exhibition, Tilganga Eye Hospital, Tilganga,<br />
Kathmandu<br />
2010 : IACC, National Level Paintings Exhibition, Nepal <strong>Art</strong> Council, Kathmandu<br />
2010 : Grand <strong>Art</strong> Exhibition, Organized by Rotary Club of Chandhagiri,<br />
Sirjana Contemporary <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Kathmandu<br />
2011 : National <strong>Art</strong> & Craft Exhibition, Competition by NAFA, Sita Bhawan,<br />
Naxal, Kathmandu<br />
2011 : “Shree Ganesh” Group Exhibiton by School of Creative Communication,<br />
Nepal <strong>Art</strong> Council, Babar Mahal, Kathmandu<br />
<strong>2012</strong> : …from portrait to self-portrait…. (The Nepal Album) Group Exhibition<br />
by KCAC, Patan Museum, Kathmandu<br />
<strong>2012</strong> : “Under the Bodhi Tree” Group Exhibition by WWF-Nepal at<br />
<strong>Siddhartha</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Kathmandu<br />
Participated Group <strong>Art</strong> Exhibitions in abroads :<br />
2002 : <strong>Art</strong> Exhibition organised by Camlin <strong>Art</strong> Foundation, Kolkota, India<br />
2005 : Kasthamandap Group Show, Den Blank, Belgium<br />
2005 : Nepal <strong>Art</strong> Show, Nogaya, Japan<br />
2005 : Kasthamandap Group Show, Galerie de Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka<br />
2005 : “Reflection of Reality” Kasthamandap Group Show, India Habitat<br />
Center, New Delhi, India<br />
2005-06 : <strong>Art</strong> Exhibition organised by Camlin <strong>Art</strong> Foundation, Kolkota, India<br />
2006 : Kasthamandap Group Show, Chautara <strong>Gallery</strong>, Holland<br />
2006 : <strong>Art</strong> Exhibition organised by Camlin <strong>Art</strong> Foundation, Kolkota, India<br />
2007 : “Reflection of Reality” Kasthamandap Group Show, Som<strong>Art</strong>s Bay<br />
<strong>Gallery</strong>, San Francisco, USA<br />
2007 : Open <strong>Art</strong> Studio-2007, Palo Alto Studio, Palo Alto, California, USA<br />
2007 : “Reflection of Reality” Kasthamandap Group Show, Gallerie 25, San<br />
Francisco, USA<br />
2007 : “Peace of Mind” Exhibition with Sri Lankan <strong>Art</strong>ists, Gandhara <strong>Gallery</strong>,<br />
Colombo, Sri Lanka<br />
2008 : “Nepal Show” Group Exhibition, Seoul, Korea<br />
2008 : “ 3rd Nepali Contemporary <strong>Art</strong> Festival” Alpha <strong>Gallery</strong>, Seoul, South<br />
Korea<br />
2008 : “Peinteres Nepalais”, Den Blank, Belgium<br />
2008 : Himalayas of Nepal, Alpha <strong>Gallery</strong>, Seoul & Honggang <strong>Gallery</strong>, Ulsan,<br />
South Korea<br />
2008 : “Breaking Boundries” Exhibition with VAST <strong>Art</strong>ists, Druk Hotel,<br />
Thimpu, Bhutan<br />
2009 : “Harmony” Group Exhibition by Reflection <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Indore, India<br />
2009 : “Colours & Impressions” Group Show, SAARC Women’s Association,<br />
Radisson Hotel, Dhaka, Bangladesh<br />
2010 : Fairfax Eco Fest Painting Exhibition, San Francisco, USA<br />
2010 : Kasthamandap Group Show, Cafe Arora, California, USA<br />
<strong>2012</strong> : <strong>Art</strong>s of Nepal Group Exhibition, The <strong>Art</strong> Center, Highland Park, Chicago,<br />
USA<br />
Workshops:<br />
1999 : Work Shop “Sirjana Shibir” By LDGDCSKM<br />
2000 : Prashanta Smriti workshop, NAFA<br />
2001 : Workshop organized by <strong>Art</strong>ist’s Society of Nepal<br />
2002 : “Kala Karyashala” organized by Lalit Kala Sangam, Biratnagar<br />
2002-03: “Kala Upaban” workshop & exhibition organized by NAFA<br />
2003 : Charikot <strong>Art</strong> Camp organized by NAFA<br />
2004 : Poetric Expressions at Godawari<br />
2004 : Meditation <strong>Art</strong> Workshop at Osho Tapoban<br />
2004 : Numafung <strong>Art</strong> Workshop<br />
2006 : Khulla Dhoka <strong>Art</strong> workshop at <strong>Siddhartha</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
2006 : Loktantrik Workshop at Gonganbu<br />
2006 : “Inspired Expression” <strong>Art</strong> workshop dedicated to the memory of late<br />
artist RN Joshi tribute by Park <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
2006 : <strong>Art</strong>s and Treks, Annapurna Round Circuit<br />
2006 : “Inspiration at The Garden of Dreams” <strong>Art</strong> workshop at The Garden of<br />
Dreams by <strong>Siddhartha</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
2007 : “Itihansako Baki Pristha” <strong>Art</strong> Workshop & Exhibition, SARBANAM,<br />
Narayangadh<br />
2007 : “Peace of Mind” <strong>Art</strong> Workshop with Sri Lankan <strong>Art</strong>ists, Galle Face Hotel,<br />
Colombo, Sri Lanka<br />
2007 : “International <strong>Art</strong>ist Day” <strong>Art</strong> Workshop by Kasthamandap <strong>Art</strong> Studio<br />
2008 : “Bagmati on Canvas” <strong>Art</strong> Workshop by Friends of Bagmati<br />
2008 : “For Flood Victims” <strong>Art</strong> Workshop By Gurukul<br />
2008 : “Breaking Boundaries” Exhibition with VAST <strong>Art</strong>ists, Thimpu, Bhutan<br />
2009 : “Creative Eyes” <strong>Art</strong> Workshop by Tilganga Eye Hospital<br />
2010 : “Big Draw” Drawing Workshop by Kathmandu Contemporary <strong>Art</strong>s<br />
Centre, Nepal<br />
2010 : “YOGDAN” An <strong>Art</strong> Workshop, Exhibition & Fundraiser for Inmates’s<br />
Children by Fusion Studio, Kathmandu<br />
2010 : “Thamel Mahotsav” Painting Workshop & Exhibition, Mithila Yen<br />
<strong>Gallery</strong>, Thamel, Kathmandu<br />
2010 : <strong>Art</strong>istic Happening – painting and poetry at Norwegian Ambassador’s<br />
Residency, Kathmandu<br />
2011 : “Bagalima Kala Sanjha” Live Painting on the stage with Sukarma Band<br />
by L’ <strong>Art</strong> en Poche, Belgium at Russian Cultural Center, Kathmandu<br />
2011 : Live Painting on Stage with Rudra Band, <strong>Art</strong> workshop by Green Tara<br />
Trust & Green Tara Nepal<br />
<strong>2012</strong> : “Under the Bodhi Tree” Lumbini <strong>Art</strong> Workshop by WWF-Nepal<br />
Awards :<br />
1987 : 2nd Prize, Inter School Competition, Bal Mandir, Kathmandu<br />
1992 : 1st Prize, Nepal Telecommunication Directory Cover Design Competition<br />
by NTC<br />
1992 : Consolation Prize, Cartoon Competition, HASNE, Kathmandu<br />
1993 : 1st Prize, Painting Competition, Lalit Kala Student Union<br />
1997 : 2nd Prize, 27th National <strong>Art</strong> Exhibition, NAFA<br />
1997 : 1st Prize, Ganesh Man Singh Adhyayan Pratisthan<br />
2005 : Best Field Work, 2D Animation, Demo Reel-2005, Pentasys Technologies,<br />
Kathmandu<br />
2006 : Camel <strong>Art</strong> Foundation Award, Professional <strong>Art</strong>ist Category, Kolkata,<br />
India<br />
<strong>2012</strong>:<br />
Gold Medal<br />
with Arniko<br />
Youth Award-<br />
2068, Ratriya Yuwa<br />
Sewa Kosh, Kathmandu,<br />
Nepal<br />
Private Collections :<br />
Prime Minister’s<br />
Residence (Nepal)<br />
Hotel de’l Annapurna<br />
(Nepal)<br />
Her Highness Maharani<br />
Yasho Raje Laxmi of<br />
Jammu and Kashmir (India)<br />
Sunrise Bank, Gairidhara,<br />
Kathmandu, Nepal<br />
Ambassador of Australia to Nepal<br />
Nepal Investment Bank, Kathmandu, Nepal<br />
Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany,<br />
India, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, Netherlands,<br />
Norway, Pakistan, South Africa, South Korea,<br />
Sri Lanka, Switzerland, UAE, UK, USA.<br />
Travels :<br />
India, USA, Sri Lanka and Bhutan<br />
Founder Members :<br />
Kasthamandap <strong>Art</strong> Studio<br />
E-arts Nepal<br />
Members :<br />
Young <strong>Art</strong>ist’s Group<br />
Nepal Association of Fine <strong>Art</strong>s, NAFA<br />
<strong>Art</strong>ist’s Society of Nepal<br />
Prashanta Memorial Society
Kasthamandap <strong>Art</strong> Studio<br />
PO Box : 10641, Lalitpur, Kupondol, Nepal<br />
Ph : 977-1-5011573(off), 977-1-4282920 (Res)<br />
Cell : 977-1-9841378001<br />
Email : bndpradhan@gmail.com<br />
kasthamandapartstudio@gmail.com<br />
www.kasthamandaparts.com.np
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