Manuj Babu Mishra
Senior Artist

Life's collage

“I use collage to liberate myself from confining ideas of what art should be like, to create total new art forms.”

This is what Gaurav Shrestha has to say about the art form he has taken up to express himself. His exhibition of solo collage paintings opened in the Capital at Buddha Gallery on arch 16. Titled ‘Celebrating Moods and Expressions’, the exhibition is truly a journey of moods and expressions.

Shrestha’s works will make you walk ‘Rage’ to ‘Love’ to ‘Hope-Life’ to ‘Party’ to ‘Mixed Reactions’.

‘City is Chaos’ is a collage of shreds of calendar, with dribbles of red paint and a sheen finish giving one the sense of looking at a top sheet of a city that is in total chaos. ‘Anyol’ is a subtle yet tangible representation of dilemma. ‘The Life’ will take you through the 12 months of the year with Shrestha’s own interpreations of what each month stands for. And it is of no surprise to anyone that for this artist too, December is a month of ‘reflections’.

The exhibition is on till March 20.

The Himalayan times
18 March 2006

Gaurav Shrestha's Moods and Expressions

Self-reflection of the moods and expressions of the artist has been the subject of many canvases. But there aren't many of them around today who bring forth their feelings in this particular creative form of art: the COLLAGE.

So the first solo collage exhibition of Gaurav Shrestha that opened at the Buddha Gallery on March 16 marks the beginning of the emergence of collage making which is relatively new in the Nepali art scene.

Kiran Manandhar, a veteran artist, inaugurated the exhibition in attendance with Ramesh Khanal, Chairman of Artists' Society of Nepal/Fine Arts Critic Society and Gopal Krishna Shrestha, Chairman of Raktakali Education Foundation.

"I wanted to do something new; and with this vision, to be outstanding and break free from conventional Nepali paintings. So I've used collage as a medium to express myself", explains Shrestha.

Shrestha's exhibition, entitled Celebrating Moods and Expressions, showcases 23 collages. Apart from using the traditional collage materials such as magazine and newspaper cutouts, Shrestha has also made use of other unconventional mediums such as calendar, cardboard and rice sacks. He has taken much advantage of the mediums he has used, thus creating compositions and textures that are distinct and very much bohemain.

It seems Shrestha is inspired by pretty much everything. His compositions are on subjects that range from landscapes, meditation and enlightenment to deities, current affaris and love. He says it takes him on average five to 12 hours to complte a composition.

Looking at his works, it is hard to believe that he has never studied art.

The exhibition continues at the Buddha Gallery, Thamel until March 20.

About the artist
Gaurav Shresha is a management graduate from TU. Born in Kathmandu on july 10, 1977, he is a self-taught artist. He, however, took a basic and special art class from Gajendra Man Shrestha, a prominent art figure.

He has participated in many competitions and exhibitions and is an active participant in the annual National Art Exhibition.

The Kathmandu Post
19 March 2006

Solo Collage Paintings

"Celebrating moods and expressions" an exhibition of first solo collage paintings by Gaurav Shrestha has started at Buddha Art Gallery from March 16-20, 2006. This is for the first time in the field of art that collage paintings has been introduced.

A total of 23 paintings have been kept for exhibition cum sale, ranging from NRs 4,500 to 10,000. "With a vision to create something new and outstanding and to break free from conventional Nepalese paintings, I have used collage as an innovative media to express myself.

I use collage to liberate myself from confining ideas of what art should be like to create total new forms. Collage is different from other art forms, as it does not dictate a particular style," says Gaurav.

He further added, "My style of collage is by patching together materials such as magazine clippings, carton boxes, sacks, calendars etc."

Nepal Travel Trade Reporter
20 March 2006

"Celebrating Moods and Expressions"

Gaurav Shrestha exhibited his art works at the Buddha Gallery from the 16th to 20th March 2006. He is a young, talented artist who is in a joy-ride seeking new forms of textures and motifs. This exhibition consisted of his collage works and paintings on carton cardboard. His collage works are creative and Gaurav composes landscapes with the medium. His art on carton cardboard are mostly semi abstract with flat bright colors but the grooves and bumps of the cardboard provides all the texture needed. A good show for an artist so young.

ECS
April 2006

Celebrating Moods and Expressions

The solo painting exhibition of Gaurav Shrestha was held at Buddha Gallery on March 20. The event showcased 23 collage paintings from Shrestha drawn in used materials like newspapers, white plastic bags, calendars etc. Through his attempts Gaurav tried to depict the shadows of temples, figurative forms, sceneries and masked structures. Speaking at the occasion, he said, "I always try to include some creative difference in my paintings. That's why I tried my hands on collage paintings."

INFOTISER
March-April 2006

Celebrating Moods and Expressions

According to Gaurav Shrestha, "I use collage to liberate myself from confining ideas of what art should be like, to create total new art forms." 16th March 2006 was a big day in his life and his first solo exhibition at the Buddha Gallery displayed 23 of his collage paintings. Now it is for others to judge whether the artist has done justice to his ambitious goal. No doubt, Gaurav's limitations, if any, can be easily forgiven considering that this is his first solo exhibition, and perhaps, one must regard his use of cartons and paper clippings as one of the novelties.

SPACES
May-June 2006

विदेशमा पढ्दैमा या कलाको डिग्री लिँदैमा कलाशिल्प हुन्छ भन्ने भ्रमलाई युवा कलाकार गौरवले तोडेको प्रसङ्ग उल्लेख गर्दै वरिष्ठ कलाकार मानन्धरले कला क्षेत्र गुरुकुल परम्परामै फस्टाउने विधा हो भन्नुभयो ।

एउटा कलाकारमा एकाग्रता, इच्छुकता, गुरुशिक्षा ग्रहण गर्ने धैर्यता हुनुपर्ने बताउँदै वरिष्ठ कलाकार मानन्धरले पेन्टिङको आकारमा ध्यान दिनुपर्ने र कोलाजको गुणलाई कायम राख्नुपर्ने सल्लाह कलाकार गौरवलाई दिनुभयो ।

नेपाल कलाकार समाजका अध्यक्ष रमेश खनालले कलाको महत्त्वपूर्ण माध्यम कोलाज पनि भएको उल्लेख गर्दै कोलाज कलाभन्दा त्यसमा दिइएका शीर्षकले गहन अर्थ र महत्त्व बोकेको धारणा व्यक्त गर्नुभयो ।

युवा कलाकार गौरवले कोलाज माध्यमबाट तयार पारेका चित्रहरूले समयको रक्तरञ्जित अनुहार मात्र होइन, नेपाली सांस्कृतिक धरोहरका विम्ब र कलाकारभित्र विभिन्न समयमा उद्वेलित अनुभूतिहरू समेटेको छ । पत्रपत्रिका, जुट बोरा, प्याकिङ्ग बक्सका कागज, क्यालेण्डरलगायत फालिएका सामग्रीको कलात्मक संयोजनमा कलात्मक कला प्रस्तुत गर्न सफल कलाकार गौरवले यसपटकको प्रदर्शनीमा जम्मा २३ वटा चित्र राख्नुभएको छ ।

एक दर्जनभन्दा बढी सामूहिक चित्रकला प्रदर्शनीमा भाग लिइसकेका कलाकार गौरवका चित्रकला नेपाल, भारत, इजरायल, बेलायत र अमेरिकामा सङ्कलित छन् ।

गोर्खापत्र २०६२ साल चैत ४ गते शुक्रबार
Gorkhapatra
Friday, March 17, 2006

स्वतन्त्रताबिना कलाकर्म सम्भव छ? नेपाल कलाकार समाजका अध्यक्ष रमेश खनालको भनाइ छ- 'कलाकार सधैं स्वतन्त्रताभित्र देश समय र जीवन छामेर आकृति उतार्छन् उनीहरू ।'

बुद्ध ग्यालरी ठमेलमा अर्को प्रयोग गरेका छन् गौरव श्रेष्ठले । उनले कागज, पत्रपत्रिका, कार्डबोर्डलगायतको टुक्राबाट आकृति जोडेर कोलाज निर्माण गरेका छन् । दुरुस्तै तस्बिर उतारेझैं ।

उनका कोलाजमा दृश्यचित्र, मखुन्डोजस्तो लाग्ने ध्यानमग्न आँखा र आकृति छन् । नाम दिएका छन्- 'सेलिब्रेटिङ मुड्स एण्ड एक्सप्रेसन' । 'स्वतन्त्र शैलीमा केही नयाँ गरौं भन्ने सोचको प्रतिफल हो यो,' आफ्ना कोलाजबारे उनी भन्छन् ।

कान्तिपुर सोमबार ७ चैत, २०६२
Kantipur
Monday, March 20, 2006

पुराना कागज, किताबका पानाहरू वा प्याकिङ गर्ने कार्टुन बक्सका स-साना टुक्राहरुलाई झिकि टाँसेर कलाकार गौरव श्रेष्ठ कोलाज कला बनाउँछन् । कला क्षेत्रमा निकै दुर्बल मानिएका कोलाज झन्झटिलो र बढी समय लाग्ने कला हो । आफूले रचना गरेका कलाहरुलाई गौरवले गतसाता बुद्ध ग्यालरीमा प्रदर्शनी आयोजना गरे । प्रदर्शनीमा दर्शकहरुले नौलो कलाको अनुभूति गरेको उनी बताउँछन् ।

सानैदेखि कला भनेपछि हुरुक्कै हुने गौरवले कलाको खासै शिक्षा लिएका थिएनन् । तर पनि कलामा आफूलाई पृथक् देखाउनुपर्छ भन्ने उनलाई थाहा छ । त्यही फरकपन वा मौलिकताको खोजी हो, कोलाज कला । मूर्त दृश्यदेखि अमूर्त आकृतिसमेत उनी बनाउँछन् । मठमन्दिर, प्राकृतिक दृश्य र मुहारचित्र उनले रचना गरेका छन् । त्योबाहेक जीवनका विविध अनुभूतिहरुलाई अमूर्त ढंगबाट पनि प्रस्तुत गरिएको छ ।

कोलाज कला रचना गर्न हप्तौं र महिनौं दिनसम्म पनि लाग्न सक्दछ । यसका लागि धैर्य आवश्यक छ- उनी भन्छन् । गौरवका अनुसार, पछि कोलाज कस्तो हुने हो भन्ने बारे पहिल्यैदेखि तयार गर्नुपर्दछ । विभिन्न रंगका कागजहरुलाई मसिना टुक्रा पारेपछि आवश्यकताअनुसार, गमको माध्यमबाट टाँस्दै कला रचना गर्नुपर्दछ । कहिलेकाहीं भनेजस्तो कागज नपाएपछि भने इच्छाअनुसारको कला रचना गर्न सकिँदैन । कलाकारी जीवनभर कोलाज माध्यमलाई अँगालेर आफ्नो परिचय स्थापित गर्नुका साथै कोलाज कलालाई उच्चकोटीको कला हो भन्ने मान्यता स्थापित गर्ने गौरवको इच्छा छ ।

टाइम्स अफ काठमाडौं बिहीबार चैत १०-१६, २०६२
Monday, March 23 - 29, 2006

हिमाल खबरपत्रिका चैत १६-३१, २०६२
29 March – 13 April, 2006