Exhibition of clay pots at Bhaktapur's Pottery Swirl tomorrow
- Post Date: 2024-11-21 13:26:27
Bhaktapur. Young artist Kailash K Shrestha is worried that the country is moving towards dependence on importing most of the goods from abroad, including food. He is also very sad to see that the products made in his own country are not getting a market because a market expansion policy has not been formulated, there is no financial income because of not getting a market, and art is dying because of not having a financial income. This is the main reason why young people are leaving the country for foreign employment every day, he believes. This is the reason why the country is not moving towards progress but towards regression.
He says that he is working hard to reduce this concern, even if only a little. He says that the latest example of his hard work is the ceramics workshop being held in Bhaktapur. He said that he organized the workshop with the desire to enable artists to create art from Nepali clay products and sell them not only throughout the country but also around the world.
Mark Nafziger and Joyce Nafziger, two famous artists from America, are currently in Bhaktapur for the program. Since the program began on October 22, they have been in Bhaktapur every day with Nepali artists.
They are in Bhaktapur for a five-day clay handicraft and ceramic art workshop being organized from November 18 to 22 under the American Arts Envoy program. For this, they are in Bhaktapur with 10 talented female artists from across the country. They are in Bhaktapur to provide a group opportunity to hone their skills, strengthen their artistic voices, and explore new economic and entrepreneurial opportunities.
We are eager to see the moments of creativity and progress that this program will inspire, the American artist couple told the public on Thursday. As part of the American Arts Envoy program, artist Mark Nafziger and a group of talented Nepali artists are in intense discussions at the Culture Cafe and Bar in Bhaktapur’s famous Pottery Square. The workshop features daily American artists sharing their experiences from their country and Nepalese sharing their experiences from Nepal, as well as learning and teaching opportunities through visiting the pottery making arts happening at Pottery Square.
The group is gaining practical knowledge about Nepal's pottery tradition by experiencing traditional pottery making techniques and firing processes up close. This experience has initiated necessary discussions about the combination of old traditions and modern art, said the team members participating in the program, which is a great start to the creative journey of the workshop.
Their intention is to provide excellent art to these Nepali pottery vessels made in Nepal and to sell them not only in Nepal but also around the world. But ironically, potters are now increasingly displacing the pottery, such as jugs, gyampos, chilims, gamlas, macals, ghintos, idols of gods, etc., that are made from clay by turning the wheel. Plastic vessels are taking their place. Colorful plastic vessels have entered. Indian and Chinese vessels have entered every household. Customers' tastes changed. Lifestyles changed. Pottery ceased to be used. And the profession of ancestors was abandoned. Along with this, the art of Nepali artists also disappeared and disappeared.
Participants expressed their sadness over the continuous decline of methods such as painting, decoration, and glazing in ceramics technology. They said, "There is creativity in the mind, cleanliness in the hands. There is clay in the earth. But there is a need for knowledge that gives proficiency. There is a lack of professionalism and enterprise. This is why we are in a group discussion.
Under the program, they are talking about pottery at a temperature of 800 to 1,250 degrees Celsius. According to them, inferior pottery (earthenware) is produced at temperatures below 1,100 degrees. But stoneware, which is produced at temperatures of 1,300 degrees or higher, is very hard.
They used to make flower pots, pots, pots, lampshades, etc. using traditional methods, while they produced clay cups, glasses, teapots and decorative items in a modern style. In particular, they are giving various forms of art to clay by burning it. Even after polishing it once, they are using it again to bring the desired color, effect, texture, and shine. This is called pottery, terracotta, ceramic art, etc. The clay vessels made by this group are being exhibited on the last day of the workshop, Friday, at the Pottery Swirl in Bhaktapur. It is said that the exhibition will be held from 2 pm to 3 pm.
Ceramics art is probably the oldest art of human civilization. There are indigenous skills, knowledge, and technology of clay art everywhere in the Terai, Madhesh, and Kathmandu Valley of Nepal. The pillar art established by Emperor Ashoka in the third century BC was also made of clay. But to make this ceramic art, 3D i.e. dangerous, dirty, and difficult, is being faced. This is the art that is attracting young people.
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