“I’m on a search for the self,” contemplates Kailash, 25, surrounded by his acrylic self-portraits in his studio in Jhya Bahal of Jyatha. Interspersed between his larger-than-life figurative works from his latest series titled ‘Silent Flow’ are smaller paintings from his previous series.
At first, I was only making imitations of myself, but now it’s not about ‘who’ anymore but about ‘why’,” he puts in wisely. Kailash’s portraits are extreme close-ups of his head, most of them from low and awkward angles. A red and blue portrait charges his studio with energy, as the morning sunlight falls on it.
“Art is a process that can’t be defined, and it needs to evolve,” Kailash asserts with a smile—a contrast to his rather somber paintings. “I think I tried to be too meditative in my works previously; I need to add some joy,” he chuckles and shares, “At the moment, I am in the process of realizing rather than defining my works. Definition comes only after realization.”
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On the other hand, Sushma made a few realizations while working on her latest series, ‘Chaitya’, - that consists of images of damaged and lost chaityas (Buddhist shrines).
“The theme may remain the same in my work, but I need to explore in different mediums to express different concepts,” she shares from experience.
The works hanging on the walls of her studio in Mangal Bazaar, Lalitpur, range from paintings and etchings to collages and digital prints—and a majority of them are on the same theme.
“I was surrounded by chaityas growing up in a Newar Buddhist community, and I have always been interested in their designs and architecture,” apprises Sushma, who has been teaching World Art History at KUart since 2007.
Another noticeable aspect about her works is their square compositions.
“The base of all chaityas is square,” she explains the decision.
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Along with mixed media works, paintings and prints, Sushma will also be creating an installation for a joint exhibition with Kailash, which will open at the Siddhartha Art Gallery on Sunday, April 4.
“I think it’ll be very interesting because my works are much smaller in comparison to Kailash’s huge paintings,” she laughs.
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