ARTREE NEPAL COLLECTIVE PROJECT

 Tikas/Godnas (Tattooing)

Tikas/Godnas were once a thriving tattooing practice in Nepal's Terai region. Now, it is only being preserved by a handful of women. State persecution and discrimination against the Tharu community disincentivized many from bearing such visibly distinct and prominent markers of their Tharu identity in public, a practice that is deeply entwined with their Indigenous history. 

In the Tharu language, the expression "tika likhi" (to write a tika) captures the importance of this art form. Tikas are simultaneously images, maps, and texts transferred intergenerationally from body to body. The exploitation of Tharu lands and communities by feudal and capitalist structures are driving forces for the loss of this tradition. The landscapes that gave shape to the rich iconography of Tharu tattooing have been rendered unrecognisable over decades of deforestation, urbanisation, and displacement. The continued presence of each tika thus embodies the corporeality of history, identity, and the resistance of Tharu communities across Nepal. 

           'NOT LESS EXPENSIVE THAN GOLD' 2016-2020

22nd BIENNALE OF SYDNEY I NIRIN

MAR 14- SEP, 2020, COCKATOO ISLAND

Artists : Subas Tamang, Lavkant Chaudhary, Mekh Limbu, Sheelasha Rajbhandari, Hit Man Gurung.

 Medium : Mixed-Media Installation (Video, Drawings, Paper mache, Herbs, Prints on Textile) Dimension : Variables 

Project Production Team : Mekh Limbu, Subas Tamang, Lavkant Chaudhary, Sheelasha Rajbhandari, Hit Man Gurung, Binay Rimal, Kala Limbu, Mithu Chaudhary, Aman Tuladhar. Special thanks to Gopal Kalapremi Shrestha. 

This Project was independently initiated by Artree Nepal in 2016. In 2020 an extension of this project was commissioned by the Biennale of Sydney with generous support from the Open Society Foundations and kind support from Kumudini Gurung, Julia Booth, and Ali Newling. 

The herbs found in the Nepali Himalayas at altitudes above 3,000 meters are considered rich in phytochemicals and medicinal properties. These plants which people have been using for hundreds, if not thousands, of years for their healing abilities have now become export goods; ironically, up to 90 percent of Nepal's pharmaceuticals are imported. 

Increasingly, in most developing countries, public services such as health, education, and transportation are systematically privatized. In Nepal, healthcareces and medical education are astronomically expensive, only five percent of the population can afford to pursue an undergraduate medical degree. In rural areas, due to a lack of proper infrastructure, people have to travel long distances to larger cities, sometimes travelling for days, just to receive basic treatment. Women who live in the most remote areas even need to be airlifted just to reach a safe birthing facility. 

'CULTURE OF SILENCE' PHASE I , PROTEST PERFORMANCE 

Protest Performance in solidarity with Dr. Gobinda KC. 

Performing artists : Hit Man Gurung, Mekh Limbu, Subas Tamang, Lavkant Chaudhary, Bikash Shrestha 

Coordinator : Sheelasha Rajbhandari Supported by Students of Lalitkala Campus, Artists, Designers, Photographers, Videographers and Calligraphers. Production : Artree Nepal 

Route : Tripureshwor - Maitighar Mandala - Baneshwor, Constitution Building Date : 23rd July 2016 Time : 7AM - 2PM 

Culture of Silence was a protest performed in solidarity with Dr. Govinda KC, a veteran surgeon-activist. Dr. KC was fasting unto death for the eight time, demanding the Government of Nepal to deliver better health services for poor citizens and to deprivatize the country's medical education system. 

There were two distinct performances. In the first one the artists shaved their heads, covered their bodies with words from Dr. KC's manifesto, and proceeded to walk barefoot-with their eyes shut-from their studio to the Constitutional Assembly building in New Baneshwor, Kathmandu, a distance of four kilometers. The second consisted of a performance in front of the Prime Minister's residence in Baluwatar, Kathmandu. The artists sat still as volunteers slowly covered their bodies-from their heads to their toes with gauze and surgical tape. The audience was then invited to write their thoughts and reflections on the protest. This process lasted nearly four hours. 

'CULTURE OF SILENCE' PHASE II , PROTEST PERFORMANCE 

12 Baisakh - Post Earthquake Community Art Project 

SEPTEMBER 18-20, 2015 THULO BYASI, BHAKTAPUR • NEPAL 

12 Baisakh - Post Earthquake Community Art Project 

'12 Baisakh - Post Earthquake Community Art Project,' was initiated by ArTree Nepal with the Artistic Direction of the collective's co-founders Sheelasha Rajbhandari and Hit Man Gurung. 

On April 25, 2015, a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal, followed by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake on May 12. Nearly 9,000 people were killed, more than 22,000 were injured, and 3.5 million were left homeless. After experiencing such a devastating force of nature, the project organically sought to make sense of our ephemeral existence and potential avenues to heal in its aftermath. 

In a period of acute loss and trauma, we initiated a community based platform where community members, artists, researchers, activists, writers, educators and other professionals could come together and contribute towards cultivating hope and resilience in an unstable environment. This effort ultimately ended up being a six-months-long process. 

We decided to call the project '12 Baisakh,' as according to the Nepali calendar that was the day the earthquake struck. '12 Baisakh' was realized in collaboration with the residents of Thulo Byasi, Bhaktapur. The collaboration evolved over two phases. The first focused on supporting the community through the use of creative outlets for psychological counseling and addressing immediate food and sanitation needs. Temporary gathering spaces were also established to facilitate community conversations. 

The second phase, titled 'Camp.Hub,' developed artistic engagements by learning, relearning, and acknowledging the indigenous skills, vernacular knowledge, and oral histories woven into the fabric of the Thulo Byasi community. Reimagining communal spaces as an outlet for creative expression and reciprocity was integral to this process. Through site-specific artworks, complemented by research and writing, the project presented the story of Thulo Byasi, its inhabitants, and its tangible as well as intangible heritage. The three-month long Camp.Hub phase ended with a three-day exhibition from September 18, 2015 till September 20, 2015; works and performances were presented in seventeen different private and public venues within the community. 

This project was made possible through the participation of hundreds of individuals and supported by many more. We would like to thank and acknowledge the contributions of the Thulo Byasi Community, Thulo Byasi Badminton Club, SAI Help Nepal, Sunbuk Culture Foundation, Sound Buzz, Prof. Dr. Christiane Brosius, Prof. Dr. Axel Michaels, Dr. Yuki Ito, Safala Rajbhandari, Pum Youth Culture Community, Kedar Laghu, Bishal Yakami, Rakesh Yakami, Sanjay Byanju, Bikash Suwal, Nabin Basukala, Kesari Suwal, Sapana Basukala, Abhash Rajoupadhhya, Nadine Plachta, Dinesh Thapa, Myung Hwa Lee, Raj Awal, Sanjay Byanju, Sambika Basukala, Ajendra Kumar Laghu, Aabishra Panaj Basukala, Kemesh Maharjan, Kumar Basukala, Raju Byanju, Krishna Prashad Basukala, Shyam Sundar Basukala, Ajay Basukala, Anish Paiju, Tulshi Ram Yakami, Sundar Suwal, Biraj Kaji Rajopadhyaya, Sachin Yogal Shrestha, Nischal Oli, Sanam Tamang, Anil Lama, Abhas Magar, Kala Limbu, Basun Rai, Nhooja Shrestha, Niroj Bade, Suchin Shrestha, Raju Rai, Karan Tuladhar, Pranit Rai, Arjun Bhandari, Raju Yakami, Bishal Yakami, Niraj Nepal, Sanjiv Mahajan, Sony Rai, Bijendra Shrestha, Sagar Shakya, Dinesh Thapa, Raj Awal, Shree Tara Band, Maa Puchaa, Thulo Byasi Bhajan Mandal,Thulo Byasi Hari Bhajan Dafa, Thulo Byasi Basuri Samuha.