Trans-Culture Camp
“boundaries fade and creativity thrives”
The Trans-Culture Camp fellowship and residency program was a transformative journey, cultivating a vibrant tapestry of voices, perspectives, and expressions.
Saroj Mahato, Curator
A C K N O W L E D G M E N T
The project “Trans-Culture Camp” has been an incredible journey of cultural exchange, learning, and forging connections that transcend borders. The camp has served as a microcosm of a world where people from diverse backgrounds can come together, share their stories, knowledge, and aspirations, and discover the common threads that unite us all as human beings.
We want to take a moment to express our profound gratitude to the US Embassy in Nepal for their generous support for harnessing creativity, experimentation, and innovation through Trans-Culture Camp a common ground for youth creative thinkers.
We would like to thank each and everyone who played a pivotal role in making this project a reality. This project has only been possible with the help of individuals and entities who have offered their support and contributed in many different ways. We remain committed to fostering understanding, empathy, and unity among diverse cultures and identities.
Once again, thank you for your unwavering commitment to the Trans-Culture Camp. Together, we are making a profound difference in the lives of our participants, and for that, we are profoundly grateful.
With warm regards and sincere appreciation.
Bikalpa Art Foundation Family
P R O J E C T I N T R O D U C T I O N
– art as an agent for change!
We believe that the act of creation comes with power and creativity has an important role to play for a peaceful world. The Trans Culture Camp was designed to invite diverse creative backgrounds, especially from vulnerable groups from all different disciplines focusing on the theme of socio-political/environmental awareness, gender equality, LGBTIQ+ artists, and artists from marginalized/ indigenous communities.
The fellowship program spanning six months has not only united five remarkable individuals from diverse fields with a shared objective but also initiated multifaceted dialogues about their creative journeys and artistic careers. The project's development was meticulously planned and executed, undoubtedly leaving a lasting impact on their creative development. Through a series of mentorship sessions, workshops, and various activities, the program has likely broadened its perspectives on diverse narratives, cultural significance, value propositions, alternative presentation methods, and the art-making process.
Taking the project’s exposition a step further toward decentralizing the culture of art beyond Kathmandu, we traveled to Simraungadh, albeit rich in its own culture, which is the forgotten city of art. It is so underappreciated that the trans-culture camp itself was witness to the discovery of a totem. Even other artifacts from the 13th century including rice grains were dug up.
To extend the project’s reach to a wider audience in the digital domain, the podcast series under ‘KTM POP CHAT’ explores the interconnected themes of Cultural and Creative Industry, Arts Education, Urban-Environmental Sustainable Development, Gender, Inclusion, and Mental Health. The podcast will serve as a platform to raise awareness, share knowledge, and foster dialogue on these critical topics, addressing their relevance in contemporary society.
– Saroj Mahato
Curator/ Director: Bikalpa Art Foundation
P R O J E C T I N D E T A I L
The Trans Culture Camp was designed to run over a period of 6 months with the participants from interdisciplinary backgrounds and from vulnerable groups, given an opportunity to work in a close and cohesive space on their individual/ personal projects but with a collaborative approach.
The project has become a testament to the enduring power of creativity and the human spirit. It was a six-month-long intensive transdisciplinary educational fellowship and curatorial mentorship residency program where 5 participants (Alsu Adhikari, Ayushka Dhakal, Devina Joshi, Samundra Gurung, and Sushant Rajbhandari) came from myriad backgrounds in the spirit of collaboration, shared their experiences and knowledge, and used collective wisdom to produce individual works of art.
The program offered a cohesive learning space for these young artists and promoted them to a wider audience. Transdisciplinary collaboration encouraged the exchange of ideas across disciplinary boundaries, facilitating the production of holistic solutions and cohesive space to create a common ground of speech and create new work.
The versatile works of art in the final exhibition as a result of the program created a different world, each with its own unique mood and atmosphere. The series of mentorship sessions, workshops, and other activities have expanded the horizon of understanding different narratives, cultural significance, value propositions, different ways of presentations, and the process of making art. The Trans-Culture Camp project has become a space to explore the nuances of different art styles and fuse their understandings to co-create new art with an essence of its own.
The Bikalpa Art Foundation extends the project's showcase by pushing towards the decentralization of art culture beyond Kathmandu. To achieve this goal, we journeyed to Simraungadh, a city rich in its own cultural heritage but often overlooked in the realm of art. This hidden gem witnessed a remarkable event during the trans-culture camp as a totem was uncovered, shedding light on the neglected artistic history of the city. Notably, various artifacts dating back to the 13th century, such as rice grains, were excavated, emphasizing the significance of Simraungadh in the broader cultural narrative.
Ultimately, to enhance the digital reach of the project, the podcast series under 'KTM POP CHAT' delves into the interconnected domains of Cultural and Creative Industries, Arts Education, Gender Equality, Inclusion, Urban-Environmental Sustainable Development, and Mental Health. The podcast serves as a platform to raise awareness, share information, and foster discussions on these crucial subjects, highlighting their significance in today's society.
C U R A T O R ' S N O T E
Nepal is known for its natural and traditional cultural heritages in the wider spectrum of tourist lenses but it has not been observed so much into the micro vision up to its cultivating creative arts, innovation, new ideas, and the young artists of the present time. The creative arts industry remained overlooked for decades while the mainstream advocacy persists on the preservation, protection, or conservation of prevalent tangible and intangible cultural heritages, and indeed it fails to support the young creative minds and the futuristic collectives/ society. In such a scenario, how a little project like Trans-Culture Camp could play a vital role in seeding the idea of innovation and creation via the invitation of vulnerable creative minds and agencies; it provides opportunities for exploration for all.
The six-month-long fellowship program has not just brought these five incredible independents together from myriad fields to share a common goal but it has also brought different layers of dialogues on each of their creative journeys and artistic careers. The formation of the project has been designed and conducted over a period of time; it certainly will leave an impact on their creative growth. The series of mentorship sessions, workshops, and other activities must have expanded the horizon of understanding different narratives, cultural significance, value propositions, different ways of presentations, and the process of making art.
“Every part of the human body is designed for something and through evolution, we have now reached a point where the cellular archives contain traces of our own history in it”, Samundra Gurung coming from the medical field explores the idea of the complex cellular structure of the human body and microscopic images and x-ray films that contain binary data code painted with UV reactive light. On the other side, Devina Joshi is bringing the mind-striking idea of a daunting story of Ratface, a common regular cycle of the corporate world, and the people victimized by the capitalist terrane.
This could be a big question to the modern technological advancement, AI, and the epitome of modern slavery. Whereas Sushant Rajbhandari (Ryan) delves into the idea of human emotion and how that affects the body, healing oneself from the suffering of thoughts and emotions, one needs to uncover and reflect on their past, watch it closely from a safe distance, and let go. The process of creating the body of work somewhat has performed the journey from mental suffering to the work as a meditative notion of oneself growth to wholesome realization. Similarly, one of the five participants, Ayushka Dhakal, the youngest one, has brought up her own linear narrative; an analogy of her childhood memories and the adolescent act of becoming aware of the socio-economic status of Nepali Society. And finally, Alsu Adhikari, who comes from a fine arts background, performs quite well; her academic skills are sound and so is her confidence. She brings the voice of gender inequality; the experience of women in different geographical contexts, disparity, and complexity in society highlighting both the reverence and objectification they face every day.
As Trans-Culture Camp was a six-month-long fellowship/ studio residency program, the final exhibition is just another episode in their creative learning journey. I am sure that the process of making the exhibition from scratch to the final display is not conceived as a fine art display but more of a process of sharing opportunities and learning. The exhibition could be a testament to the enduring power of creativity and the human spirit. The versatile works of art on display will amaze you, inspire you, and transport you to a different world, each with its own unique mood and atmosphere.
The contemporary art scene of Kathmandu is relatively getting better than before, and I believe with all these micro initiatives and leads, the creative arts industry will certainly boom. There is a necessity to bring the artists together and give them a space to explore the nuances of different art styles and fuse their understandings to co-create new art with an essence of its own.
– Saroj Mahato
Curator/ Director: Bikalpa Art Foundation
MENTORS:
The Trans-Culture Camp project has been organized into distinct components; mentorship programs, master classes, workshops, and most importantly regular basis mandatory studio timing. The Mentorship program aimed to expose participating artists to diverse perspectives within the realm of art practice, encompassing curatorial, theoretical, and real-world application viewpoints. The mentorship program helped the participating artists assimilate a broad range of qualitative knowledge by exposing them to various approaches that enabled participants to individually process the acquired knowledge and leverage it to create something innovative, integrated, and meaningful. The mentors played a crucial role in this process, conducting well-researched, concise sessions for artists at regular intervals. Each mentor specializes in a particular niche within the art field, delivering around 12 sessions to the participating artists. In addition to the structured sessions, mentors also guided artists in their personal and collaborative art projects. The main active participating mentors for the TCC project include Saroj Mahato, Alessandra Campoli, and Niranjan Kunwar.
N I R A N J A N K U N W A R
Niranjan Kunwar is invested in literature, contemporary arts, queer issues and pedagogy. He is the author of a memoir ‘Between Queens and the Cities’ and his English translation of Amar Neupane’s ‘Seto Dharti’ is forthcoming. Based in Kathmandu, he is also involved in various teacher training and educational outreach programs. He is an M.S.Ed from City University of New York, with a specialization in Childhood Education.In early 2021, he received a diploma in Narrative Practices and Ideas. His major role in the project as one of the active participating mentors was to guide participating artists in theme-based creative analysis, critical thinking, and writing skills. Niranjan sessions were filled with reading tons of articles, notes, and stories followed by reflections. Stepping into the workings of society as an observer, analyzing the observations through reflection, and then engaging through the creation of art.
S A R O J M A H A T O
Saroj Mahato, a visual artist and curator, currently serves as the Cultural & Creative Industry Coordinator at UNESCO, Nepal. In this role, he is dedicated to elevating the cultural and creative industry to new heights. As the co-founder of Bikalpa Art Foundation and an independent curator and art manager, Mahato has devoted numerous years to establishing a forward-thinking platform for emerging artists in Nepal. He took up the role of a dedicated mentor for Trans-Culture Camp and acted as a constant guide to the artists in their creative progression. His sessions were focused on providing an understanding of perception and analysis, equipping the artists with curatorial knowledge to study and decipher art from different contexts. Further, he engaged the artists on the practical knowledge of curating and setting up an exhibition. A holistic approach to engage in art.
A L E S S A N D R A C O M P A L I
Alessandra is a visual artist, researcher, and lecturer in Design at the Open University (UK). She completed her practice- Ph.D. in visual Cultures in 2012 and since then, has been actively engaged in scholarly teaching, research, and dissemination of knowledge while working as a creative practitioner. Her creative practices include experimental photography, site-specific installation, and at times, performance with the use of ready-made objects. Alessandra’s mentor sessions are focused on the concept of design, the role of design in nature, design thinking and features of design thinking, and the incorporation of design in art by Nepali as well as Western artists. Her works have focussed on visual storytelling, social and climate justice as well as regenerative cultures and myths.
G U E S T M E N T O R S :
Trans-Culture Camp is a unique project designed to bring a new and holistic approach to art. There was also direct involvement of the guest mentors and collaborators who played the core role of guiding the artists throughout their journey into a holistic experience. To expose the participating artists to a wide range of art mediums, the project was designed to incorporate practical programs such as workshops and masterclasses, facilitated by professionals in the particular field. These activities vary in subjects from Wood and Metal workshops to introduction to digital designing tools, mural making, and performance art. These activities allowed the artists to engage in a team learning and team building experience along with giving them the means to learn a new skill in their journey with TCC. Some of these workshops were designed particularly for the TCC artists and are conducted in a contained manner with a personal touch, while others are general and are open to the public for participation. The intention to open the activities to the public is to allow the interested people to learn the skills as well as to increase public engagement with the participating artists and the TCC program itself.
A R I N S H R E S T H A
Arin has been practicing Street Art in Nepal since 2015. He has worked with numerous art organizations and on individual projects around the country. Arin’s forte is Calligraffiti, a contemporary art form that combines Calligraphy and Graffiti art. Besides traditional graffiti making, Arin has professional experience in creating 2D/3D art installations, digital illustrations, Brand customization, interior/ exterior designing, art activism, and exhibition curation.
M A R I A F A J A R D O
Maria Fajardo is a Spanish Jazz Vocalist, Educator, and Composer María Fajardo. María graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2016, and currently, she is a very active member of the Academic Coordinator and Head of the Voice Department at the Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory.
C H E S H A N K A R
Che Shankar has been actively contributing to the theater and cinema of Nepal since 2011. His works have been staged in different countries and he has years of experience in facilitating workshops on creative teaching through performance arts as well as acting masterclasses. His successful works include – Kohi Kina Barbad Hos, Look Back in Anger, Same Time Next Year, Mr. Fox and School Boy, Ular, and Katha Nalapaniko.
P A R T I C I P A T I N G A R T I S T S & T H E I R P R O J E C T S
“I believe my artworks act as a collective memory of myself and society”
Alsu Adhikari
From Simara to Chitwan to Kathmandu, Alsu moved across the country watching the clouds and gathering the moonlight. She believes that these slow movements across time and space have painted her perceptions of life and existence. But journeying through life has opened new questions with each answer. Through art, she looks for answers to the unspoken realizations stored within her memory.
Life with different communities and their varying cultural practices has influenced her art greatly. It has changed with her, into an amalgamated experience. Alsu has completed her Bachelor in Fine Arts from Kathmandu University.
Alsu creates and she does it to reflect on her memories and to find value in simple things. Her works happen to reflect on the experiences of women and the marginalized of society. It does not take a genius to recognize the expertise in her art, but even the greatest can stare and miss the emotions and experiences emerging out of those fine details.
Alsu works with oil and watercolor, digital tools as well as animations. But she has never confined herself to a set of these. She wants to keep finding answers to the endless questions arising out of experiences through art.
Memories of Being
“Memoirs of Being,” is an exploration of the experiences and observations of women in contemporary society. Through my art, I seek to unveil the intricate web of societal structures that both restrict and empower individuals and communities and how this dynamic affects women in particular.
My art is an expression of women’s emotional and psychological experiences, captured through my minimalistic and textured style. Each piece is a symbol of the different journeys women take as they navigate through life. I use beads stitching and watercolor, and pencil color as mediums to bring my art to life.
Each stitch, each brushstroke, is a reflection of my own memories of being in Terai and living in the bustling city of Kathmandu. My art reflects the intricate patterns of life, the textures that shape our experiences, and the colors that evoke our deepest emotions.
At its core, “Memoirs of Being” is an expression of the complexity of the human experience, and the ways in which gender, power, and society intersect to shape our lives. In essence, “Memoirs of Being” is a deeply symbolic expression of the beauty and complexity of the human experience, and an invitation to explore the nuances of gender, power, and society. It is a testament to the power of art to inspire, transform, and help us understand the world around us in new and profound ways.
– Alsu Adhikari
“Maybe I can create a new pink out of myself”
Ayushka Dhakal
“Red and white make pink” This is a discovery Ayushka Dhakal made on her own, coloring a Disney princess as a child. A Million facts have been discovered and recorded since time immemorial, but a thing one learns on their own stands atop a mountain of millions. Growing up was fun surrounded by books in her Mother’s school. Early on, Ayushka was exposed to different stories inside the books and their reflections outside in the society. She was particularly impacted by the life stories and struggles of women from marginalized communities.
Developing a love for stories and art did not go hand in hand with learning how to draw lines and circles in art class. A deep loath for Math soon turned into a perplexing attraction through STEM. The understanding of the importance of alternative and interactive learning instilled in her resolve that there are no bad learners, only the wrong teachers.
With such determination, she founded EKIKYA. Through this project, she works to bring the stories of single mothers to the mainstream and create a platform to connect them with vocational trainers to earn a sustainable income. Ayushka is working to find a reasonable way to compound her love for STEM, art, and gender studies. She is certain it is possible because one can blend red and white to get pink.
फ्रीज कता राख्ने त? (Where can one keep a fridge?)
“आमु हाम्रो घर मा पनि fridge लेराम न। “
“राख्नने ठाउँ का छ भन त, लेराएर का राख्नु?”
“ऊ त्यहाँ, बाथरूममा छ त ठाउँ, त्यै राख्नने ।”
“Amu, let's buy a fridge for our house too na.”
“Tell me where we should keep it then, where is the space?”
“Right there, in the bathroom, plenty of space there, isn’t it?’
In the cramped one-bedroom apartment, 7-year-old I could see how a lack of space prevented us from owning a fridge. In the pink-tiled bathroom we seldom used, however, space as I could see, was abundant. I, who often pestered my mother to buy and keep a fridge in the bathroom, understood only later that it was in fact not the lack of space but rather the lack of money that had kept us from owning a fridge.
“Where Can One Keep a Fridge” is an installation piece that showcases my childhood memories and ties them with communal social and economic experiences. Through installing the pink fridge in the bathroom and illustrating the layout of the apartment I grew up in, I evoke the nostalgia and emotional connection I feel for the piece.
Despite having these burdens of the world often kept from me, I have always felt their shadows lurking around. In creating this piece I have learned that these shadows are often why I do what I do: It is what motivates me to seek escape from the circumstances I grew up in. As I have shared my story of the pink fridge with people, they have shared the stories of their own “pink fridges”- Stories of their own economic and social struggles growing up. Through these conversations, I have learned that the pink fridge is not my sole intimate memory but rather a communal experience. Everybody has a pink fridge. Through this piece, I invite you to think about your own “pink fridge”: about why it is that you do what you do.
– Ayushka Dhakal
“Art is a powerful way to save yourself from the sanity of the world and insanity of the mind”
Devina Joshi
“Artists are the preservers of humanness and emotions” Devina Joshi, born in a Newari house, learned to draw a two-story Nepali House from her grandfather. To her, he appeared as an idol holding art dearly to his heart. She followed in his steps and loved art just as dearly. It started with drawings and paintings, but eventually led to photography. Devina places Ease and Comfort of Mind on the top shelf of life. Photography made it much easier to express herself and share the most complicated of thoughts.
When the stress of industrialized life started taking a toll on her life, she reverted back to making art to keep her sanity and ground herself. Art, especially photography, gave her power over herself and a chance to move away from the monotony of the corporate world. It was a way to escape the never-ending struggle to make a living, to a place where not everything had to make sense and be described with mathematical logic. It transformed her into a spectator of the world and life around her. She learned more about herself by photographing the world, and staging images of her memories than any academic degree would have lent. She believes that one can visualize and conceptualize an image to bear a soul, to tell a story. And this can be done irrespective of the medium. Devina does not want to limit herself to photography and painting and wants to explore a blend of different mediums such as printmaking, digital artworks, pottery, and coding to tell her story.
9:00 am – 5:00 pm Machine
The concept of my artwork is based on the idea of capitalism (modern slavery), in other words, the rat race present in our society. Capitalism has many layers to it and its effect on people both socially and mentally, and yes not to mention soulfully as well. Out of many layers, my artwork explores the surface layer or general idea of the establishment of lifestyle due to the same system.
My artwork is trying to represent the monotonous routine lifestyle of people working in corporate offices, with endless deadlines and constantly living in competitive and survival mode. They say we are free beings, but are we really free in our lives with the existence of capitalism and all that comes along with it? Sadly, society has normalized this system for economic growth, instead of reflecting on how this has been turning ourselves into robots and sucking our human-ness from our souls. Even more sad is people glorify this lifestyle of busyness, and competitiveness, and those who fail to survive in this rat race are miserably judged to the point of deterioration of their mental health.
With personal experience of a 9 to 5 job, it was unbearable for me to see the way corporations work and their expectation for employees to act as robots with no voice of their own. Running their organization without acknowledging the welfare of their employees was driving me insane. This is crazy, and I believe most of the people all around the world are also running in the same draining rat race of a 9 to 5 controlled system of survival. However, I have not dived into much depth and layers around this topic in my work. Through my artwork, I just wanted to first make people realize, reflect, and question themselves on how this growing capitalist system is shaping our nature as human beings, and what they are turning us into, even though it is not possible to get out of this circle right away. Furthermore, it also felt necessary for me to work on this, with my personal experience I feel like many of us have not even realized or do not even want to realize that they are in the rat race and under control which seems like a safety net.
Talking about the technical part of my artwork here, in the front face of the acrylic sheet, I took a photograph of a person in an office setup and replaced the head of the person with the rat head image found in free-stock photos, to represent the rat-race. All the images are created in black and white to show the rigidness of our lifestyle because of this system. Images are repeated to show repetitiveness, pattern, and robotic style to represent the everyday routine of corporative people or people in jobs in general. The other side of the sheet has questions to the audiences about how they can interact with the art piece, as opposed to the images displayed on the front sheet. Here, a huge transparent acrylic sheet is chosen to make people see each other through the sheet as a metaphor for the field of rat race.
– Devina Joshi
“In a cis-het dominated field like stem, I wanted there to be a positive representation of people like me, which is lacking in Nepal”
Samundra Gurung
“In art, there is no right or wrong, there are no rules” Born in the plains of Chitwan and growing up in the hilly Kathmandu valley, Samundra fostered a curious spirit amidst the melting pot of cultures, religions, and traditions. Sam describes himself as a rambunctious child, filled with curiosity that often got him in trouble. He molded himself differently out of his rebellion to conformity, opposition to authority, and queer identity, accepted after years of self-reflection. It was in school that Sam fell in love with science. It was a means to feed his ever-growing curious personality. His never-ending thirst for asking questions and seeking answers would only be mitigated by the practical and experimental nature of science. Alas! Science wouldn’t enjoy the monogamy, he was also in love with art. He first met in an art class. Art taught him that there was no right or wrong, there were no rules in their journey. Somewhere at a junction between the end of school days and the beginning of college, he took his teacher’s advice to take up science to build his career. This journey led him to be a doctor with an MBBS from the Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences. Taking up science did not mean leaving art behind. A rambunctious child he is and he took them both everywhere in his 23 years of life’s journey. At each new juncture, he climbed a new step in science, at each new juncture, he met a new personality in art.
In 2016, he was serendipitously introduced to artudio, which opened a brand new realm of imagination and exploration. He met artists, photographers, writers, sound engineers, filmmakers, storytellers, models and designers. In this journey, he came to know art beyond paintings and sculpting. Driven by an urge to join the experimental art movement, he started to review and read about different artists, extensively visit exhibitions, and attend art events. He concluded that science was the way to find answers to his questions, but art was his solace to express the emotions and thoughts that formed in the process, that art could transform, change opinions, and speak truth. In a field such as science, dominated by cis-gender heterosexual folks, visibility is the power to increase the representation of queer folk. To transfer equal power to the community. Sam is a positive representation. Sam wants to build a career in dermatology but wants to immerse himself in a creative sphere where he can combine all his knowledge to develop an integrated approach to education.
Somatic Expression
The preconceived ideas we have about our own human body, the intricate machinery, and the system that ultimately shapes who we are as individuals were something I really wanted to explore in my art. When I looked at it, I wanted to depict the intricacies using cellular imagery. From the outside, I want to convey a sense of us discovering our own curiosity inside its own structure and the essence of being by depicting the abstract magic inherent within us in our cellular fragments. Working in the medical industry, we come across many patients who are unfamiliar with how the human body works, so I wanted to create a visual representation of the complicated machinery that is present in each and every one of them. At the same time, I wanted to represent a sense of overhaul in the field as well, a part where individual unique bodies become reduced to diagnosis, prognosis, and data.
We have always held the belief that art and science are two distinct things, never approaching them as one cohesive concept. As a result, I wanted to explore the notion of telling tales from bodies using cellular archives and patterns because working in the medical industry exposes me to so many different individuals and bodies, each with their own distinctive story. The use of mixed media in my work enables me to be versatile. Considering the variety of components that make up the human body and their perceived disparities. In order to produce a one-of-a-kind creation, I wanted to use a variety of creative methods I had acquired throughout the camp and combine them in my final works in mixed media. The pandemic put a nationwide spotlight on what health meant to the general public and thereby piquing an interest to the people in the community about their own bodies.
Thus, working on a series depicting bodies from an abstract concept of cellular arrangement as well as depicting the innate beauty of the living processes brings my work to be more relevant. I wanted to play with the idea of using light to showcase my artwork as well. As within the realm of medicine, the vast topic of medical imagery ultimately utilizes various lights from X-rays, visible light to UV rays to capture the human body processes. Thus, using fluorescent paint to represent a part of the medical process in my artwork seemed like the perfect way to demonstrate my final work. I also wanted to explore other various techniques used in art. For me to portray the value of the body gold seemed like the obvious choice as not only does it have a symbolic meaning with value but it also denotes a sense of holiness and considering our culture, we do consider bodies to be holy. The installation which depicts the x-rays of the people from the general population denotes the moment in time frame of the people when they were the most vulnerable.
All the bodies denoted there have their own individual stories to tell and when shown under UV light it displays the binary codes which converts the human experience and condition to simply data thus to view my main work the viewer must pass through the curtains of x-ray signifying a sense of peeking through yourself to view the beauty that lies within. Beyond the installation is a tryptic of mixed media art which depicts the beauty of the human body and the coexistence of the bodies that arise from a single cell. Medical imagery is a fantastic source of inspiration for artists because it presents the human body in a beautiful way.
– Samundra Gurung
“Art happens when a human truly expresses their tangible and intangible truth in an extraordinary way, I like to see my life as a video game”
Sushant Rajbhandari (Ryan)
“I like to see my life as a video game” Sushant Shree Rajbhandari is many things at once. He is one of those people who do not want to be framed with a single personality and condemned to live one whole life adhering to the same. At times, he likes to be called Ryan, as it allows him to be a fun, joyful, and hard-working individual. He found traveling to be a way to explore his different personalities. Being an alumnus of Sirjana College Of Fine Arts lent him the theoretical concepts to art, but it was only after the association with a close-knit group of seniors that was he able to fathom the true depths of art. He was exposed to the realm of contemporary art and found it absolutely fascinating.
His confines with traditional art forms were broken by volunteering for the Expression Expedition by the Luna Peots. He found a key to interdisciplinary art forms. He found himself mingling with a different set of crowds who each opened up new doors in his journey as an artist. He was mesmerized by sound art and fell in love with exotic instruments like Didgeridoo, Muurchunga, and Djembe, which were used by his associates to express the meditative state of the mind. On this journey, Ryan also met an artist from Hong Kong called 5+2. He could not resist but to inculcate the fine, organic patterns she painted. He became familiar with various schools of thought in art like dark surrealism, dadaism, escapism, dream/nightmares, psychology, speculative biology, and cosmic horror. A rare opportunity to travel to Hong Kong made him realize that everywhere in the world people are bound by the same motivation, respective of their culture, traditions, and customs.
Several artists left their marks on Ryan and he could not help but desperately find a unique pattern of his own. His figures became more distorted and his paintings became vague, more often than not, pouring out the state of his mind. Having discovered the miracles of the sound world, Ryan never separated his expertise of a brush and his passion for sound art. He joined an ethno-instrumental experimental band called Stotram, a space he was allowed to explore his artistic freedom without limitations. His journey took him to various art programs like fellowships and non-profit organized workshops. He got to play different roles as that of a teacher and a learner.
Working with the Shadow
“Working with the Shadow” is a collection of three installation pieces; Normalcy of Pain, Emotion Bodies, and Anatomy of Healing. The series of works tie together to create a narrative of the inner journey that takes place when an individual is healing.
Love creates and love also ruins. I have questioned the nature of love, what turns it into pain, and what makes it beautiful as well. I have observed the attachments that are created by illusionary romantic love. Then came the realization that pain is inevitable when one is attached to things that aren’t permanent. And nothing is permanent. As I started healing, I went into the deep emotional waters. There I saw my shadow, not one but many. Upon accepting them, I spread my skin and the more introspection happened the more it spread. Just like a tree, I kept growing. Both in and out.
Emotional and mental stress affects the physical body. A person needs to know that pain is also a part of life and take it easily, normally like having tea and brushing your teeth, washing your clothes; it is necessary, it is essential. And to take it with ease, a person needs to sit with their suppressed emotions and feelings, without trying to rationalize it. Then observe the inner self and heal the unhealed wounds.
I have used a variety of materials such as metal rods and wires, fabric – lycra, mesh, and raw cotton canvas. The barbed wires represent pain and the T-shaped stand represents the normalcy of the pain that is generated from the withdrawal. It’s a very common and everyday object we use to dry hang clothes. It is a reminder to the self that these things are very normal. The figures on the mesh represent the emotional body experiencing pain. The figurative distorted paintings are a representation of the creatures of the emotional waters (the shadow bodies). The humanoid figure made by Lycra represents the healing process.
– Sushant Rajbhandari- Ryan
P R O G R A M S & A C T I V I T I E S
O F F I C I A L L A U N C H O F T H E P R O J E C T
The official launch of Trans-Culture Camp 2022 took place on 16/12/2022 from 5pm to 7:30 pm. The project launch was pushed to its second month due to public and political events such as the festival month of october and state elections. However, the launch was extended to include the introduction of the artists who have now been well integrated with the program as well as an exhibit of their works created outside of, or before their initiation into the Trans-Culture Camp.
The launch was hosted by Bikalpa Art Cafe as a venue and catering partner. The event began around 5 pm with the exhibit opening to the public. Five of the TCC artists who practice non-musical art mediums displayed their artworks and created three art pieces for the event. The Chief Officer for Cultural Affairs Mrs. Sarah Knight, Public Affairs Associate Paul Cohn, and Pallavi represented the American Embassy at the event. At 6 pm, the Program Coordinator for Bikalpa Art Center Sampreeth Patil introduced the event, guests, and the artists.
This was followed by a keynote by the curator for Trans-Culture Camp Saroj Mahato, who gave a holistic description of the project and the artists. Sarah Knight spoke of the importance of the art in societal impact and progress, the role of programs such as TCC in realizing this role, and the role of the American Embassy in aiding and encouraging the art scene in Nepal. The event culminated with a musical artistic expression by Luckey Sherpa and other musicians..
M E N T O R S H I P S E S S I O N S
The three dedicated mentors for Trans-Culture Camp are engaged in rigorous tutoring sessions with the artists. So far 8 Mentor sessions have been completed. Each mentor is scheduled to provide about 12 sessions to the artists, a total of 36 sessions for the camp.
W O R K S H O P S & M A S T E R C L A S S E S
Performance Art and Music Workshop by KJC
Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory (KJC) as one of the collaborators took the lead on delivering workshop on performance art and music. The first series of workshops was on storytelling through a stream of consciousness where the facilitator Maria Fajardo focused on songwriting and writing in general by using streams of consciousness and a series of questions as tools for developing stories. It included using the tools of stream of consciousness, improvisation, and “being on the spot” to create stories, songs, poems, etc. These tools help artists deal with a lack of inspiration and how to go forward on their creative journey and continue to tap into a source of spontaneous inspiration. The workshop was open to the general public, but mainly for people with some extent of experience in writing stories, songs, and poems. In the second series of the workshop was about discovering the tools offered by our voice for expression and creation on the spot. In the workshop, the participants were led through a series of exercises using the body and voice and creating music and sounds together. Participants did not need to know how to sing or have any prior knowledge about music. Rather, participants needed to be open-minded and ready to emerge in sound, creation, and expression of the individual’s creativity through the voice. Spontaneous composition, allows us to better come up with ideas on the spot using our body and voice in this setting.
Metal & Woodworking Workshop
This was a 4-day workshop conducted during the middle of the project when the participating artists were ready to start working on their own projects. With this workshop, the participating artists were introduced to the basics of making functional objects- furniture or pieces of sculpture- installed from wood and metal. The workshop was structured in two parts, spanning two days each.
The workshops on day 1 and day 2 were moderated by the curator Saroj Mahato and participants were introduced to the digital product designing software ‘Sketchup’, on how to use different tools for 3D modeling for designing simple products. Later the participants brainstormed to select a simple product to be designed and made during the course. Together, they chose to design and build a contemporary/ conceptual shelf made of wood and metal.
The second part of the workshop was facilitated by Prakash Karki. The artists were introduced to different machinery and tools used in the production of basic wood and metal making. They were taught how to use them with the safety measures to be taken and later they engaged in making the designed shelf under the supervision of Prakash using basic wood and metal working tools and machines.
Elements of Acting: Acting and Performance Art Workshop by Garden Theatre
Bikalpa Art Foundation in collaboration with Garden Theatre organized a 10-day workshop on ‘Elements of Acting’ facilitated by Che Shankar. The workshop was designed for the Trans-Culture Camp participating artists but also open to the general public, especially those with an interest in theater/ acting/ performance art. A key objective of the workshop was to nurture theater/cinema enthusiasts in the development of their thoughts and ideas, to encourage individuality of expression, and to foster creative confidence. The participants got an opportunity to write, direct, and perform as well as an opportunity to develop their works on performing and visual arts.
The first 3 days of the workshop focussed on Introduction of Theatre / Elements of acting & Site Specific Performance. The subjects of Site-Specific theater/performance were focused on global warming, social/political injustice, public space, and heritage then and now.
The next 3 days of the workshop focussed on Understanding the text– character – Art of Performance. The participants read different plays to understand the text, character, and art of performing skills via exercises and theater games.
The 3 three days focussed on Preparing a character and performing monologues. The participants picked a text from a play and practiced and performed it in the studio. The last part of the workshop included a site-specific performance that later took place in a public space in Patan, Lalitpur
Mural Art/ Graffiti Workshop by Art Lab Nepal
Bikalpa Art Foundation collaborated with Art Lab to conduct a three-day introductory workshop on Mural Making and Graffiti. The workshop was facilitated by Arin Shrestha, a member of Art Lab Nepal culminating with the Trans-Culture Camp artists adding colors to the wall at Bikalpa Art Center. This workshop was very inspirational in its delivery of key tools for the artists to begin a new area of exploration.
Initially, the artists were introduced to the art of graffiti making and mural art- history, progress, and current trends. The artists were then introduced to different tools used in graffiti making and were trained in the methods of using spray paints on different materials such as walls and wood.
Later, the artists were trained in creating and using stencils for wall art. The artists then created individual designs and finally incorporating all their designs they collectively painted a wall at Bikalpa.
Master Class on Art Therapy by Lajja Dixit
Lajja Dixit at the studio for an introductory session on art therapy focused on connecting art practice to larger socio-political issues. The artists were engaged in little activities that might seem like simple time-binding exercises, but carry greater depth of meaning materializing differently by different people. The session taught the application and approach of art therapy as an efficient alternative/ addition to traditional therapy in the mental health sector in the contemporary world. The artists discovered a new perspective to approach art. We are grateful to have had Lajja’s inspirational presence.
Public Documentary Screening in Collaboration with Film South Asia
Bikalpa Art Center collaborated with South Asian Trust to screen 20 documentaries from the curatorial selections of Film South Asia (FSA) 2022. These documentaries include 14 films from the traveling package of FSA 2022 as well as 6 documentaries that were supported and produced by the South Asian Trust. These documentaries are based on diverse themes of social importance such as gender politics, LGBTQI rights, self-identity and belongingness, rights of the disabled community, etc. This collaboration on documentary film screenings with FSA is an attempt to promote documentary filmmaking as a means of artistic expression as well as to fulfill the motto to raise awareness on pressing social matters with the help of artistic tools.
The selected films were screened at 6 pm every Wednesday at the Bikalpa Art Center. Some of the documentaries, especially those by Nepali Filmmakers will be followed by a discussion with the filmmakers. It was an excellent opportunity for the public to engage in the promotion of documentaries in the country, to connect with local filmmakers as well, and to get informed on important subjects.
Film South Asia is a biennial documentary film festival first launched in the year 1997 and has been working towards encouraging and promoting South Asian documentary Filmmakers ever since.
P R O D U C T I O N, E X H I B I T I O N D E S I G N & C U R A T O R I A L I N T E R V E N T I O N
CURATORIAL INTERVENTION
From the curatorial lens, the curatorial mentorship sessions within the project was designed and divided into three phases i) learning through mentorship; workshops and masterclasses, ii) Self-exploration, production, and experimentations and iii) Expositions to overarching their artistic growth. In the second phase, all the participants worked very closely with the curator and were engaged in personal research, experimentation, and artwork production.
PRODUCTION & EXPERIMENTATIONS
After all the workshops and masterclasses, the artists began full-fledged work on each of their individual projects. The production phase started with presenting three different ideas to the curator and choosing the best one based on clarity, relevancy, and achievable in a given time. As the production phase was the most crucial and integral part of the whole program, there were high expectations from the participating artists in their delivery and they were focused on what they would produce and what would come out as a result of all these intensive sessions, and educational activities. Although it was not designed as a masterpiece outcome-oriented project there were extensive challenges for the artists to prove and during the course in collaboration with each other and in a supportive environment, they accomplished producing amazing works of art. Each of them came up with satisfactory results and they were praised by the mentors, curator, and the audience at the end.
ARTIST'S STATEMENT WRITING WORKSHOP
A good art always has a better narrative, it speaks by itself, and it doesn’t require extra explanations but artists need to be clear in their perspective, context, and what they want to express through their artworks. Although visual expressions are more powerful than words, they may go the other way around; an artist may not succeed to the right audience if they do not have better communication/ writing. As a part of the course, each artist was assigned to make a visual journal of their works and document all the processes of the production as it helps them read and narrate the work better later. They were constantly engaged in writing and presenting their ideas from the beginning until the end when they had to prepare the artist’s statement. The curator guided them in preparing process journals/ portfolios, writing art labeling, and artist’s statements through a workshop.
ARTIST'S TALK & PRESENTATIONS
Artist's Talks & Presentations were significant and one of the frequent activities of the Trans-Culture Camp designed to upscale and enhance the participants’ presentation skills. Participants were given opportunities to talk and have presentations after every other assignment; some of the presentations were within the artist and curator and some others were public to the audience.
COMPARATIVE STUDIES, RESEARCH & EXPLORATION
As a part of the program, this assessment was designed to make the artists’ foundational understanding of art in depth in identification and analysis of formal quality, analysis of a comprehensive study on purpose and function, cultural significance, and comparison of three different works and how it connects to their personal artistic exploration. Each participant was assigned to choose three different artworks from different times in history and do visual analysis and comparison to understand the context and evolution. This practice helped them know their own practices and work better and also helped them illustrate a better narrative of their works.
CURATORIAL APPROACH TO EXHIBITION DESIGN
The artists engaged closely with the curator/ mentor Saroj Mahato who provided them with guidance throughout the program on preparing concepts from scratch to final production of their works and exhibition display. Under a guided program they were able to utilize the knowledge, training, and skill set developed under the mentorship to conceptualize ideas for their works and presentations in forms of writing and display.
EXPOSITIONS
OPEN STUDIO – MID TERM
As a part of the program, in the middle of the production phase, we organized a one-day event, an open studio – an evening with the artists to present their process to the audience. The purpose of this activity is to increase the engagement of the artist with the public and give them an opportunity to receive insights and suggestions. Artists spoke about their ideas and works, their progress, and their expectations. This event was an opportunity for artists not just to share the process but also to hear the audience’s feedback and it also helped the artists in networking.
P E R F O R M A N C E A R T I N P U B L I C S P A C E
The six participating artists were given an opportunity to work together, along with a resource person after their masterclass on performance art. The theme of the performance is related to environmental degradation and awareness. The purpose of this project is to help the artists learn the art of expressing themselves through performance art, to create art on the concept of environmental issues, and by displaying it to the public, bring awareness. This performance took place in collaboration with Garden Theatre and Che Shankar and with support from Lalitpur Metropolitan City office with their permission to conduct the performance in their public spaces.
F I N A L E X H I B I T I O N
We conducted the Trans-Culture Camp Final Exhibition on April 21 2023 to May 15, 2023. The final exhibition was a celebration of the completion of the Trans-Culture Camp which was a six-month-long fellowship residency program where 5 participants Alsu Adhikari, Aayuska Dhakal, Devina Joshi, Samundra Gurung, and Sushant Rajbhandari came together to share their experience and create meaningful art together. On the 21st the overwhelming turnout and the overwhelmingly positive response we received from all attendees made all the work put into this worth it. The exhibition showcased various new media art entangled with performance art by the participating artists. Accompanying the exhibition were musical performances that added an enchanting feel to the atmosphere. The ethnic contemporary musical band Kanta dAb dAb and Nischal Khadka who delivered a mesmerizing electronic set helped build the ambiance of the eve.
Kanta dAb dAb enthusiastically became part of the project to commemorate and support the inauguration of the Trans-Culture Camp, hosted at Bikalpa Art Center in Puchowk, Lalitpur, Nepal. Kanta dAb dAb through sitar, bass, and percussion blends ethnic, traditional, Nepali classical, and various western musical influences to create a groovy, soulful Asian fusion that is distinctly contemporary with Nepali sound. The band uses traditional and folk music of Nepal in a contemporary music format with a belief that the musical heritage of Nepal is an inspiration and a source for any musicians and its scholars. The band members are Riju Tuladhar- bass player, Sunit Kansakar- sitar and guitar player, and Nikhil Tuladhar- drummer/ percussion
T R A V E L L I N G E X H I B I T I O N T O S I M R O U N G A D H
The Trans-Culture Camp started with the intention of diversifying art, not only in the articles displayed at BAC but also taking the exhibition a step further towards decentralizing the culture of art beyond Kathmandu. For this purpose, we had four options to choose from; Pokhara, Janakpur, Lumbini, or Simraungadh, and with multiple layers of consultation and analysis, we decided to travel to Simraungadh. Simraungadh, albeit rich in its own culture, is the forgotten city of art. In fact, it is so underappreciated that the trans-culture camp itself was witness to the discovery of a totem. Even other artifacts from the 13th century including rice grains were dug up. While brainstorming places to showcase their art, the Trans-Culture Camp had every reason to take the visit to Simraungadh. However, one problem remained. The Simraungadh audience, uneducated and less worldly in their ways, would not be able to resonate with the exhibition the same way folks in Kathmandu did. This meant that the art to be showcased at Simraungadh had to be completely different from that exhibited in Kathmandu. We thus set foot in Simraungadh with the hopes of amalgamating the remaining ideas and bringing them to life by creating new art there.
For the first couple of days, the team toured the village ruins to get acquainted with Simraungadh, its culture, history, and art. With the help of the mayor and students from five schools in the district, two murals were put up. In that process, the artists familiarize themselves with Tirhut art, an art form native to Simraungadh. In the 13th century, Simraungadh was the capital of the Tirhut kingdom which is why Tirhut art was deeply influential in shaping the culture of art in Simraungadh. The murals were thus an attempt to connect the artists’ breakthroughs in the trans culture camp with Tirhut art. The first mural represents a woman looking at the history of her Kingdom, historical symbolisms such as maps and ancient buildings have been used alongside other culturally relevant elements. Her body is adorned with culturally relevant symbolisms- the fish in her hair for instance. Her hair represents a water body and the fish gleefully swimming serves to emphasize beauty. This is one of the countless elements used in Tirhut art. The mural is also laid out with a lot of other beautiful elements such as flowers and flying birds. Nature has always been a subject of deep reverence in Tirhut culture, and by proxy, Tirhut art. You will also find that the woman in the mural is looking at a map laden atop ancient buildings- these elements represent 13th-century Simraungadh, the woman’s history. This particular art piece is a celebration of women who attempt to reconnect with their heritage. The second mural, plain and perhaps simpler than the first one, showcases a woman in a saree riding a bicycle. This piece is an attempt to synthesize modernization with heritage, and to open up the prospect of their coexistence for discussion. It also deviates from a colonial standpoint of modernity and, in doing so, revives local cultures.
PODCAST SERIES – KTM POP CHAT
To enhance the digital reach of the project, we produced a podcast series of 12 episodes overarching the Trans-Culture Camp’s theme. The podcast was recorded and released under Bikalpa’s other initiative ‘KTM POP CHAT’ which started back in 2020 during COVID-19. The 'KTM POP CHAT' delves into the interconnected domains of Cultural and Creative Industries, Arts Education, Gender Equality, Inclusion, Urban- Environmental Sustainable Development, 
and Mental Health. The podcast serves as a platform to raise awareness, share information, and foster discussions on these crucial subjects, highlighting their significance in today's society. It is released on different podcast platforms, such as Apple Podcast, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud Amazon Music, and Castbox. Please scan the QR below to visit the page and choose the best platform you would want to listen to/ watch it from.
W O R D O F T H A N K S
The “Trans-Culture Camp” initiative has been an extraordinary odyssey characterized by profound cultural exchanges, continuous learning, and the establishment of connections that transcend geographical boundaries.
We extend our deepest appreciation to the US Embassy in Nepal for their generous support in making the Trans-Culture Camp a reality. It would not have been possible without the tremendous help we received from the dedicated mentors, collaborators, participating artists, the art community, and volunteers. Special gratitude extends to the dedicated mentors, workshop facilitators, and the curator who played a pivotal role in transforming this project from a vision into a reality.
The realization of this endeavor owes its success to the collective contributions and varied support provided by numerous individuals and entities. Our dedication persists in nurturing understanding, empathy, and unity across diverse cultures and identities. With warm regards and heartfelt appreciation, we acknowledge the shared journey and meaningful impact we continue to create together.
Thank you!
Bikalpa Art Foundation Family