Nepal Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) is organizing an exhibition and sale of art created by some of the best artists in Nepal for two weeks from May 29, 2023, Monday. This year the NAFA exhibition and sale is going to reach out to the market and hence begin a process where our artists are rewarded by the market.

Art can and should be a good proxy indicator to reflect the advances we have made in Nepali society to meet basic development needs and now the time is right for all of us to begin to look closer at our art heritage and legacy. This is a good time to begin to invest in the arts. We are working to make this year’s NAFA exhibition and sale a point of departure from where Nepalis and the international community begin to see Nepali art as an investment.

From this year we want to establish art and Nepali artists as a key indicator of who we are as a people, country and what we are capable of. Why should the world know Nepal by its challenges only? Why not introduce Nepal and the people through the creative work of our artists? The Great Kublai Kahn in China was inspired by the work of Arniko, the British must have been impressed with painter Bhajuman Chitrakar. The Bhutanese were impressed with Raj Kumar Shakya.

We must continue the tradition and legacy of Nepali artists. Nepal, with all its diversity, is a great source of art. While we have gone through difficult times, artists have continued to inspire us.  In the good times ahead, art is going to flourish. Come be part of this transition. Come support our artists and invest in art.

This year’s NAFA exhibition and sale has three themes.

• The first set of artwork this year will celebrate Nepal, what it is and what its place in the world can be.
• The second category will be art that will inspire each individual to bring out the best in them. This will be art that helps each one of us to aspire to attain our full potential for ourselves and others.
• The third set will bring out the creativity in us and also serve as a barometer for how creative our society is and can be.

Do not miss this year’s exhibition and sale. Come invest in Nepali art and our artists.

Anil Chitrakar

Goodwill Ambassador, NAFA