My first introduction to the traditional paubha artists of Bhaktapur was in the 1990s at a show organized by the Traditional Artist’s Society. It was here that I saw the works of Purna Hyoju titled ‘Tula Rani’. I was awed by the mastery of this beautiful work and invited him to show his work at the Siddhartha Art Gallery at a later date. Gradually, I was introduced to the works of Surya Bahadur Chitrakar as well as the incredible line works of the late Gyankar Bajracharya and a host of traditional artists from Bhaktapur. This is how the idea of organizing an exhibition of traditional paubha artists at the Siddhartha Art Gallery was born.

Sundar Sinkhwal belongs to the group Khwopa Paubha Chowmi Puchha, Bhaktapur, which has 29 members: Purna Hyoju, Ratna Gopal Sinkhwal, Hari Prasad Baidhya, Bala Ram Nhisutu, Krishna Ram Ghemosu, Rabindra Munankarmi, Puran Hyoju, Mahendra Sinkhwal, Devendra Sinkhwal, Indra Sinkhwal, Sashi Dhar Sainju, Rajani Sinkhwal, Rojina Sinkhwal, Ram Hari Sinkhwal, Chandra Krishna Kiju, Shyam Sundar Khyaju, Sundar Shrestha, Muna Gwachha, Roshan Khyaju, Rajan Sangachhen, Shiva Prasad Kiju, Subendra Lohala, Ajay Karmacharya, Dinesh Sinkhwal, Mrigendra Karmacharya, Manoj Sinkhwal, and Anu Bohaju.

On April 19, 2023 the Siddhartha Art gallery organized an exhibition “From Bhaktapur to Kantipur” to pay homage to the artists of Bhaktapur. Before that, only some members of this group had shown their works in exhibitions in Kathmandu. The exhibition marked the first time that all 29 members of the Khwopa Paubha group exhibited their works together in Kathmandu. The collection of paintings from the group had been a long process and five years in the making, and we were very honored to be hosting this exhibition with the traditional artists of Bhaktapur.

The paintings by the Sinkhwal family stood out in this show and I invited Sundar ji and his daughter Rajani Sinkhwal to exhibit their works at the Gallery. The works by Sundar Sinkhwal in this solo exhibition span a period of six years and are represented by 27 exquisite paintings. Though most of Sinkhwal’s works are gouache on cotton canvas, a few canvases represent contemporary portrayals of deities in acrylic which are very much in demand in the local art market. His paubha paintings on the otherhand maintain the prescribed iconometry of the deities. However, the hallmark of his works is manifested in his experimentation with a palette of subdued greys and blues and earthy brown tones, the serenity of the deities’ visage, his handling of the nature elements in the background-the clouds, the frothing primaeval ocean, the budding and luscious flowers that seem to bloom in the light of the full moon. It is therefore befitting that this exhibition coincides with the auspicious time of our religious festivals – Dusshera, Laxmi Puja and Mha Puja where many of the dieties that are portrayed in Sinkhwal’s paintings are invoked. Siddhartha Art Gallery takes pride in showcasing the exhibition of master artist Sundar Sinkhwal from Bhaktapur.

Sangeeta Thapa
Founder Director Siddhartha Art Gallery
Siddhartha Arts Foundation
Founder Chair Kathmandu Triennale

असंख्य मन्दिरै मन्दिर अनि पाइलैपिच्छे भेटिने देवी देवताको मूर्तिहरुको खुल्ला संग्राहालय भनेर कहलिएको काठमाण्डौ उपत्यकाका आदिबासी नेवारहरुको रगतमै मानौं कला संस्कृति संस्कार को सञ्चार भइरहेको हुन्छ । प्रातकाल भाले बासेसंगै मन्दिरहरुका घण्टीको ध्वनी अनि घरघरका पूजाकोठामा देवीदेवताहरुको पूजाआजा गरी शुभारम्भ गरिने दिन र साझ तीनै देवी देवताहरुको आरती पछि सुत्ने यहाका प्रायः सबैका दैनिकी हो । झन भक्तहरुको शहर भन्ने उपनाम पाएको भक्तपुरमा जन्मी हुर्केको हुनाले हो की, म सानै देखि देवीदेवताको कथा सुन्ने मठ मन्दिरका देवदेवीका मूर्ति र चित्रहरु प्रति आकर्षित भइरहन्थे । हाम्रा चाडपर्वहरु जस्तै नागपञ्चमीमा नागको चित्र, दशैंमा भगवतीमाता, सरस्वती र भीमसेनको चित्र, तिहारमा कुवेर र ख्याकसहितको लक्ष्मी र यमदूतसहित भाइटिका गरिराखेको चित्रहरुमा पूजा गर्ने चलन छ । कार्तिक शुक्ल पूर्णिमाको दिनमा टोलैपिच्छेका दाफा भजनहरुमा भुतेको मकै, गहुँ, कालो भटमास आदि गेडागुडीले सम्बन्धित देवताहरु मन्दिर, पूर्ण कलश आदिका चित्र बनाएर पूजा र भजन गर्ने गरिन्छ । यस्ता चित्रहरुप्रति अभिरुचि र प्रभावको फलस्वरुप म सानैदेखि भगवानका चित्रहरु कोर्ने प्रयासहरु गर्दथे । स्कूलको आन्तरिक चित्रकला प्रतियोगिताहरुमा म सधैं जसो पुरस्कृत हुन्थे जसले गर्दा हौसल्ला र उत्साह संगसंगै चित्रप्रतिको लगाव पनि बढ्दै गयो ।

भक्तपुरको स्थानीय पर्यटक बजारमा तिब्वेती शैलीका थाङ्काहरु देख्दा आफूलाई पनि त्यस्तो थाङ्का बनाउने इच्छा जाग्थ्यो र त्यतिको म पनि बनाउन सक्छु जस्तो पनि लाग्थ्यो तर सिकाई दिने, मार्ग निर्देशन गरिदिने कोही नहुदां मेरो इच्छा इच्छामा मात्र सिमित भइरह्यो । यतिकैमा २०४३ साल माघको एक दिन भक्तपुरका वरिष्ठ पौभा कलाकार पूर्णप्रसाद ह्याजुको आमा हाम्रो घरमा आउनु हुन्दा मेरो चित्रहरु देखेर मलाई पूर्णप्रसाद ह्योजु दाईसंग भेट गर्ने मौका जुराईदिनु भयो । त्यसको भोलिपल्टबाटै विधिवत् रुपमा पूर्णप्रसाद ह्याजुबाट पौभा सिक्ने अवसर मिल्यो । मैले त्यहाँ जम्मा १५ महिना मात्र सिक्न पाएँ जुन अवधि पौभा जस्तो बृहत क्षेत्रको लागि निकै छोटो हो । पौभा निश्चित नियम र धार्मिक दर्शन शास्त्रमा आधारित भएर प्रतिभा लक्षण विधान, तालमान सबै मिलाएर लेख्नुपर्छ तर पूर्ण ह्योजु दाइकहाँ अपर्याप्त अवधिको सिकाईले गर्दा शुरुका २ वर्ष जति धेरै कठिनाई र संघर्ष गर्नुपर्यो । पहिला साना र एकल देवता मात्र भएको पौभा लेख्दै गुरुकहाँ लगेर कमी कमजोरी केलाउदैं सुझाव लिदैं त्यसलाई सुधार्दै, परिमार्जन गर्दै गएँ । विस्तारै कामको साथै व्यवसायिक पक्ष पनि अलि राम्रो हुदैं आएपछि मेरो परिवारका सबै जना आकर्षित भै यसै क्षेत्रमा लाग्नु भयो ।

पौभामा पनि धेरै रंगहरु मिसाएर प्रकाश/छायाको प्रभाव देखाउन सकिन्छ की भन्ने आशाले म वरिष्ठ आधुनिक कलाकार सृजनकुमार राजभण्डारी कहाँ ६ महिना तेल रंगको चित्रकला सिक्न ठ क्ययि भ्हजष्दष्तष्यल(द्दण्द्दद्ध क्बमजबलब गएँ । त्यहाँ बहुरगंहरुको समिश्रण गरी कसरी प्रकाश र छायाको प्रभावमा एउटा आकर्षक चित्र बनाउन सकिन्छ भने थोरै भएपनि ज्ञान त पाएँ तर पौभा क्षेत्रमै व्यस्तताको कारणले त्यसलाई निरन्तरता दिन सकिएन । समय सधैं एकनाशको हुदैन । कोरोना भाइरसको महामारीका कारण लकडाउन संगसंगै विश्व बजारको मन्दी नेपालमा पनि व्याप्त भयो । पौभाको माग पनि क्रमशः घट्दै गएर प्रायःशुन्य नै भयो । पहिले जस्तै अर्डर पूरा गर्न भ्याइनभ्याइको व्यस्तता अब रहेन । त्यही फूर्सदको समयलाई सदुपयोग गर्दै आफ्ना इच्छा अनुसारको तेल र एक्रेलिक माध्यममा पनि चित्रहरु बनाउन थाले । पौभा चित्रको संख्या विस्तारै बढ्न थाल्यो । जति जति पौभाको संख्या बढ्दै गयो त्यतित्यति एकल प्रदर्शनी गर्न सकिन्छ की भन्ने आशा पलाउदैं आयो ।

सामुहिक प्रदर्शनीमा त सबै कलाकारहरुले भाग लिएकै हुन्छन् तर पौभा क्षेत्रमा एकल प्रदर्शनी गर्न पाउनुको छुट्टै महत्व हुने गर्दछ । असिमित समय र कडा परिश्रम लगाएर मात्र पौभा सिर्जना गर्न सक्ने भएकोले प्रदर्शनीको लागि पुग्ने संख्यामा पौभा बनाउन त्यति सजिलो पक्कै थिएन । हुन पनि मेरो छ सात वर्ष अनवरत प्रयासले मात्र यतिको पौभाहरु बनाउन सम्भव भएको हो ।

सबै कलाकारहरुलाई आफ्नो एकल प्रदर्शनी गर्ने धोको हुन्छ नै तर कुराको संयोग मिल्नको लागि पनि समय जुर्नुपर्छ भन्छन्। यस अर्थमा म आफैूलाई भाग्यमानी थान्छु किनकी मेरो एकल कला प्रदर्शनीको इच्छा आज सिद्धार्थ आर्ट ग्यालरीले साकार तुल्याइदिनु भएको छ । आजको यो एकल पौभा प्रदर्शनी आयोजना गरिदिनुभएकोमा सिद्धार्थ आर्ट ग्यालरीका अध्यक्ष श्री संगिता थापाज्यू लगायत ग्यालरी परिवारप्रति हार्दिक आभार प्रकट गर्न चाहन्छु । प्रदर्शनीप्रति शुभकामना प्रकट गर्नुहुने नेपाल ललितकला प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठानका कुलपति एवं कलाकार श्री नारदमनी हार्तम्छालीज्यू, वरिष्ठ कलाकार एवं ख्वप पौभा च्वमि पुचःका उपाध्यक्ष श्री पूर्ण प्रसाद ह्योजुज्यूप्रति हार्दिक कृतज्ञता व्यक्त गर्न चाहन्छु । यस प्रदर्शनीमा प्रत्यक्ष अप्रत्यक्ष सहयोग गर्नुहुने सम्पूर्ण शुभचिन्तकहरु साथै मलाई यस क्षेत्रमा निरन्तरता दिईरहन अनुकुल वातावरण बनाई निरन्तर साथ र सहयोग गरिरहने मेरो परिवारजनप्रति पनि आभार व्यक्त गर्न चाहन्छु । धन्यवाद ।

सुन्दर सिंख्वाल

Siddhartha Art Gallery is deeply committed to social causes and has used the medium of art to heal, nurture, and provide during times of need. In 2015, the Australian Himalayan Foundation awardees (Hitman Gurung, Anil Shahi, Kailash Shrestha, Saurganga Darshandhari, and Surendra Maharjan) and gallery director Sangeeta Thapa traveled to Solukhumbu to conduct art therapy sessions for children at Mahendra Jyoti Secondary School in Chaurikharka, which was supported by REED Nepal and AHF.

The gallery joined hands with Mount Holyoke College, USA, Safe Motherhood Network, Zonta, and Helping Hand Alaska to donate winter clothes to 427 schoolchildren in remote Sirdibas, Gorkha, and Syafrubesi, Rasuwa.

In 2015, with financial assistance from Gordonstoun School, UK, the gallery mobilized funds to purchase 500 tarpaulin sheets, which were donated to the Department of Archaeology to protect endangered heritage monuments from adverse climatic conditions.

In the post-earthquake scenario, the gallery worked closely with Bindu and artists from Bangladesh to assist thirty-six artists affected by the earthquake. Additionally, the Kathmandu Contemporary Arts Center (KCAC) sponsored studio space for three artists: Jeewan Suwal, Muna Bhadel, and Sandhya Silwal, and the gallery organized an exhibition of their works. In the UK, Celia Washington, co-founder of KCAC, launched the Thinking of You Project and raised funds for four arts organizations working on earthquake-related projects: Artree, the Rebuilding Bungamati Project, Sanghai Khelaun, and the Butterfly Project. KCAC further donated Rs. 100,000 to Photo Circle for a scholarship for a photographer.

In 2017, the Foundation launched the ‘Health Transformed by Art’ project, which aimed to bring out the latent therapeutic value of art, believing that every individual can use the creative process of the arts to care for the community's mental, physical, and emotional well-being. The mission of the project was to bring the power of art therapy to children, adults, and families facing overwhelming life circumstances.

The Gallery worked with Kanti Children's Hospital, Nepal's only referral-level government children's hospital—teaming up with the Director of Kanti Hospital and hospital staff to explore the impact of art in a hospital environment. The Gallery brought in Laaja Dixit, Nepal's only Art Therapist, to conduct a three-day workshop aimed at spreading positivity through art among children, doctors, nurses, and hospital visitors.

Over the years, the Gallery has mobilized funds through the sale of artworks and donated to multiple projects in need: the construction of a new maternity wing at Prashuti Griha Hospital (Rs. 10,000), the reconstruction of the Tumbaha Narayan temple in Patan (Rs. 10,000), and the Krishna Mandir in Patan (Rs. 50,000). In 2014, Siddhartha Art Gallery held a special exhibition, ‘Artists Unite,’ to raise funds for flood relief, donating Rs. 12,15,410 to Prime Minister Sushil Koirala’s Disaster Relief Fund.

Carrying forward this spirit of giving, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Sundar Sinkhwal’s exhibition will be donated to the Rotary Club of Kathmandu Midtown’s relief fund.