PROJECT 1336
“Project 1336” is the community based art project. It is an art idea to work together with the diverse community of the Kathmandu city especially women and the youths. Dense community of the valley lives in the lane with big hopes and dreams. This project is the story of people living in the lanes. Life is never straight, it is like the lane of the Kathmandu valley. I see women gathering in small courtyard knitting along with their neighbors interacting with joy about life and values. They knit with the stories, knitting becomes the story of seconds. Knitting is like making things happen, intricate connection between threads and journey of life which is yet struggling, hopeful and chaotic like lanes. Knitting wools embrace the feeling of warmth, inclusiveness, and also connects with personal nostalgia of motherhood blessings. Ongoing process of the installation itself is work of art which interlink with doers and viewers as the part of community activity. The work is spontaneous, performative, interactive and playful like the city of Kathmandu valley.
Art however should touch lives. It is to bring awareness on the native opportunities to labor class people who flee away to other nations in the hopes to have better future. The Kathmandu is not a child friendly city so to bring awareness this lyrical vibrant line will bring some playfulness, hopes, and dreams to our future generation.
This project is again to connect Kathmandu city with sea level, an elevation height of 1336 meters.
Manish Lal Shrestha
Visual Artist
About Me
Manish Lal Shrestha is a multidimensional visual artist based in Kathmandu, Nepal. He has Bachelor Degree of Fine Arts from Sir J J School of Fine Art, Mumbai in 2001. Shrestha started his own unique style in which he uses contemporary motifs since his early period. He is well received visual artist who led the postmodern movement of Nepal that was nascent in early 2000. He has had 19 solo exhibitions, several workshops and residencies internationally in Holland, Switzerland, France, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, USA, South Korea, Taiwan, China and Nepal. He was also part of Kathmandu Triennale 2017, Nepal, Busan Biennale Sea Art Festival 2019, South Korea, the 4th Today’s Documents 2019, A Stitch in Time, Today Art museum, Bejing China. He has several awards to his name including the National Fine Arts award (2011), from Nepal Academy of Fine Arts. He is also a visiting faculty at the Srijana College of Fine Arts, Nepal. In addition, he is founder Director/ Curator of the alternative art space as Gallery Mcube to practice a wide range of art activities. He curated several art events in Nepal and aboard including Himalayan Art Festival 2018, Nepal Art Council, National Exhibition of Fine Arts 2021 at NAFA, Nepal, IPEP India, International Print Exchange Program India 2022 and also co-curated First Yanjiao Biennale 2020, China. He also curated international experimental video art project ” Made in Mind series II” in 2019.
Vertical Wave
Vertical Wave is a 108-meter-Long Tapestry for which 1500 used clothes collected from the citizens of Busan are stitched together with threads and needles. Main material of the piece “old clothes” are the metaphoric object that holds people’s personal history, emotional milieu, aura, beauty and they are the symbol for the chronological history of development of human societies. Connecting the used clothes means to connect mankind for Shrestha. Through Vertical Wave ha offers an opportunity for the audience to connect scattered stories of the individuals pass their emotional values and share histories breaking national barriers in the long run. Also, he pays attention to the site-specificity of the border where the beach and the large park meet. Starting from a tree in the park, his tapestry grows to wrap around surrounding trees to make arch shape and continue to grow toward the sea, Shrestha’ Act of generating interaction between man and the nature reminds us of what kind of viewpoint we must have on the matter of ecology of contemporary society. Artist Statement The site-specific community art project entitled “Vertical Wave” brings people of different cultures, ethnics and community together. To create the massive installation, I am using clothes that depicts second skin to life and that provides a value of security, beauty and comfort. As we know clothes become the status symbol and chronological progress of human civilization. To create the work, 1500 old clothes are stitched together to create a large tapestry of 108 meters. Metaphorical aspect of used clothes has beautiful connection with personal history, memories and their emotional milieu. 108 meters length signifies the spiritual and cosmic connection to aware mankind as a natural being. Accumulating clothes from many communities has the collaborative affirmation of sharing love and affection. It has the meaning of regeneration and bringing essence back to life again towards the humble society. Recycling these norms has deep connotation of connecting individual stories and sharing their emotional values. Stitching clothes together with the help of many people of the neighborhoods depicts the meaning of connecting borders, sharing histories and recollecting stories. It is freedom of being unified. Process of sewing with thin white thread has affirmative gesture. Human life is also connected with thin layer of mutual respect, love, laughter and positivity. This work is in a process and ended up in the process. Entire process of interactivity itself is an art for me; it is joy of living, celebrating the existence and meditation in itself. Amalgamation of different color clothes into one united tapestry is created in a form of human wave as a powerful epitome of dignity, self-respect and reinforcing the sense of belongingness. The installation embraces the trees and the ocean as a gesture of love and respect towards the nature. This work determines the reality of human race as responsible being to protect the nature and finding the roots within themselves.This installation is created in the form of ocean wave in vertical dimension. As me being a man from Himalayas, my journey is always to connect different souls from the height to the sea. This work represents collective energy of union and human as a vertical being with multi-dimensional dynamism. The large tapestry of 108 meters length with 2 meters height is created for Sea Art Festival 2019 Busan Biennale which is exhibiting in Dadaepo Beach, Busan from 28th September to 27th October 2019. The festival is organized by Busan Biennale Organizing Committee and the theme of the festival is “Sea of Heartbreak”. The Artistic Director for the festival is Seo Sang-ho from South Korea. Donors of the used clothes: Nam Dareuda, Kim Yunmi, Yeom Siyun, Jung Inseo, Byeon Yunjeong, Lee Gyeong Jae, Oh Deokjun, Kwon Heeseol, Lim Miok, Kim Jiyeon, Ban Yeongnan, Cho Seoyeon, Jung Dong Hoon, Lee Daun, Seo Yoon Mi, Beautiful Store. Working team Kim Mikyung, Kim Hyosun, Shin Youngae, Jeon Minsook, Choi Kyungok, Park Hyunja, Kim Misun, Yoo Youngsook, Dong Kyu Kim, Hyejin Jun, Oh Jihun, Cho Chaeyoung, Lee Junpyo.
