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SHEELASHA RAJBHANDARU and HIT MAN GURUNG at Spring Workshop, Hong Kong. Photo by Sonia Yu for ArtAsiaPacific.
Thirty-one-year-old Nepalese artist Hit Man Gurung was born with a mission. In the Nepalese language, hit man means “wise and helpful man,” and that is precisely the role that Gurung plays in his homeland’s art community. To accomplish his goal of using art to affect change in Nepal, the Kathmandu-based multimedia artist is dedicated to an art practice that touches upon social and political issues in Nepal. Gurung’s creations include paintings, installations and performances, which tell of the difficulties faced by migrant workers, issues of identity and discrimination, pollution problems and even earthquake relief.
Together with Gurung, artist (and Gurung’s spouse) Sheelasha Rajbhandari co-founded ArTree Nepal, which was founded as an artist collective that has since become a nonprofit art space. Known for her mixed-media installations, Rajbhandari has been collaborating with Gurung since their days at university. Like Gurung, Rajbhandari’s experience-based projects reflect political and social issues, conveying critical messages to her audience. She is also interested in the relationship between traditional beliefs and evolving contemporary lifestyles.
In an interview with ArtAsiaPacific, the artist couple provided an overview of the Nepalese art scene, and Gurung shared his experience as a participant in the international artist residency program hosted by Para Site, Hong Kong.
Hit Man, some of your works, such as Yellow Helmet and Gray House (2015), deal with the issue of Nepali labor migration. You have conducted research around Nepal by meeting families and collecting data on the impact of low-income, migratory labor. What was the process of collecting this information like, and why did you become interested in this issue in the first place?
HMG: I have been working on the migration issue since 2012. Lots of people from Nepal went abroad for work because most of the industries [at home] were closed then. Due to city development, they moved from rural areas to city areas. In 2014, I went with my friends to my hometown, Lamjung, to meet dead migrant workers’ family members. We paid visits and talked about their current situation. The painting took references from an old couple whose only son went to Saudi Arabia for work and tragically died. So this is kind of a tragic story.
HIT MAN GURUNG, Yellow Helmet and Gray House, 2015, synthetic polymer paint on canvas, diptych: 152.4 × 243.8 cm. Courtesy the artist.
Aside from migratory labor, what other social issues do you address in your art?
HMG: Aside from migratory labor, I have been working with environmental issues. My works are socially political. I am trying to provide responses and commentary on those issues which were or are happening in my time, and illustrate how these issues impact personal lives and society. Recently, I have been working on the issue of education, which is closely related to commercialization. Today, 90 percent of Nepalis cannot afford to go to school. So I am trying to understand how does the commercialized education system affect the upbringings and futures of children. Also, the project I have been working on recently is about human trafficking but I have just started it, and it is still in progress.
Most of your works are figurative paintings and can be considered portraits. Why do you choose to focus on individuals when there is a larger context in the narrative of migratory labor?
HMG: I think painting portraits is a very effective way to tell human stories and communicate with the audience. Since the general public in Nepal does not have an academic understanding of art, I would rather tell the story in a realistic way than an abstract way. I see it as a means to connect with the audience, through the senses that they feel when they look at the work. On the other hand, human portraits reflect certain emotions such as pain and anger. The audience could easily connect with those emotions and feel a sense of empathy. So, figurative paintings are all about connecting with the audience, through human emotions and the different senses that we possess.
You are currently part of the residency program at Para Site in Hong Kong. Could you tell me more about your working experience in Hong Kong and how it is different from other places you have worked in before?
HMG: We met Cosmin Costinas, the executive director of Para Site, in 2014. We met again at the Kathmandu Triennale, and he invited Sheelasha and me to the residency program.
SR: We have been working on participatory projects with Nepalese migrant workers and the Nepali community [wherever we go]. Our plan is to collaborate with the Nepalese community or Nepalese migrant workers in whatever country we are travelling to, so we decided to continue collaborative projects that we started in Qatar some time ago.
Things are different in Hong Kong. Nepalis arrived here during the 1960s, as part of the British Gurkha army. Recently, we met the secretary of the Gurkha Cemeteries Trust, and went to the cemetery to pray and offer flowers. We are planning to collaborate with our elders, such as old workers and grandfathers. Therefore, the whole project would depend much on their health and availability. We would like to travel with them to the cemeteries and take photographs in front of the space. We will be taking photos of former Gurkha soldiers.
Can you tell us the story behind the art space that you co-founded together, ArTree Nepal? How did you start it with five other members from the group? What was the motivation behind establishing such a space?
HMG: We were all at university at that time. After we graduated, we realized that we had to work together because it was the only way to continue our practice—by sharing rent and ideas.
SR: We did not have much support from the government. Due to the civil war from 1996 to 2006, they would rather invest resources in health, education and infrastructure. There were existing art organizations back then, but their goals and aims were very different from our objectives and visions.
We founded ArTree in 2013, and recently gained a new member, so there are six of us now. It is a multi-purpose art space with a studio, a meeting space, a micro-library and a decent gallery. We do not only invite artists. We like to collaborate with other disciplines as well, such as writers, photographers, directors and engineers.
What impact do you think the Kathmandu Triennale has on the Nepali art scene?
HMG: The triennial is the biggest international art event in Nepal. Since it is the only large event of contemporary art that we have in the country, it is very important for artists, the art community and also Nepalese people who want to understand contemporary art.
SR: There are lots of exchange programs, talks and lectures in which art enthusiasts could join and exchange ideas with the artists. It is also a very good opportunity to create a platform for political criticism. Under the triennial’s theme of “The City,” each artist expressed opinions regarding his or her own city.
The protest-performance Walking on the Streets (2007) was a successful appeal, resulting in the establishment of the MFA program at Tribhuvan University in Kirtipur, from which you graduated and where you currently teach. How has art education in Kathmandu evolved since then?
HMG: In the past, European art history was the core subject of art programs in Nepal, which was manipulated by India. We did not have an MFA program in 2007. I think it is getting better now. They are trying to change the system slightly. However, Nepalese art education is still very old school. The academic system was dominated by the European philosophy. Students are taught about Western European art history, which has not been contextualized for Nepalese society. That is why my projects are always based on issues happening in our time, because they are very much connected with our lives.
Can you describe some problems and challenges that the art community is facing in Nepal, from your perspective as an artist, co-founder of a nonprofit art space and educator?
HMG: We do not have lots of support from the government. Contemporary art is never a primary concern in our society. Nepal has gone through political instability, and public policy now focuses on rebuilding the infrastructure that was devastated during the civil war.
SR: Besides, traditional craftsmanship is the only thing that the general public recognizes. Similarly, the theory of modern, abstract, Eurocentric art is so dominant in Nepal. It is due to the fact that we do not have resources to archive our own visual history.
Moreover, Nepal does not have an economic policy that serves as natural encouragement for importers to buy or support art. We do not have corporate social responsibility policy either. Being a landlocked country sharing borders with India and China, Nepal does not have successful importing and exporting businesses due to geographical restrictions.
HMG: Most importantly, contemporary Nepali art is not recognized in the global art scene. It is isolated. For example, when we talk about South Asia, India always comes first. International programs and exhibitions are always held in India. Therefore, we are missing many opportunities.
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