Ragini art & life

2011-02-19T18:55:00.009+05:30

Contemporising a goddess

Archana Thapa

FEB 18 2011

A news item in Kantipur on Feb. 13 attracted my attention. The news was about an objection from the Forum for Hindu Awakening, a US-based religious organisation, to Nepali artist Ragini Upadhaya Grela's painting depicting the Hindu goddess Saraswati. According to the news, the Forum asked Ragini to take the painting off her website. The report reminded me of the same painting that I photographed during the opening of Ragini's exhibit Love in the Air in February 2009. I was particularly fascinated by that particular piece because Ragini's Saraswati did not represent the traditional, iconic image of the goddess; instead it re-imagined the traditional image in the context of contemporary life. Most of the artwork in the exhibition dealt with the theme of an increasingly integrated global world order—a liberal utopian world where, despite cultural and geographical differences, love was a possibility. Most of the works reflected mixed images of god and political leaders. Others showed modern gadgets and cupids flying over world-famous monuments. In addition to the theme of love, some of her work represented serious concerns over the failings of national politics.

Particularly striking were the works in which the artist self-incarnated into the mythical matriarchal figures of powerful goddesses like Saraswati and Durga, seemingly concerned over the failing political scenario in post-conflict Nepal. Love did seem to be in the air as political parties had finally reached an agreement on rewriting the constitution; however, all was not well. Ragini's artwork represented the troubled national psyche in the land of temples where gods and goddesses reside. In the painting that is now stirring a controversy, Ragini projects herself as a modern Saraswati riding her vahan—a white swan—holding mystical weapons as well as a keyboard, a computer display and a cell phone. Such a representation of the goddess of knowledge, synthesising modern and traditional imagery, generated new perspectives from which to understand new forms of knowledge. In other words, Saraswati received a makeover for the techno-age.

There were other works where devotional iconographies of Saraswati and Durga were re-imagined in modern, mortal forms and woven within the post-conflict political framework which, to me, looked appealing and appropriate for the moment. Her works were conscripted within a specific political background and overlaid with new religious imaginations. The deity in a new form looked in no way offensive or demeaning. Rather, such a portrayal allowed a new critical perspective to emerge. What is the reason behind the current controversy then? Is it because the iconic representation does not represent the goddess in her traditional form? Or is the modified representation sacrilege?

Disagreeing to assent to the rigidity of traditional iconography, the artist constructed an altered image of a contemporary Saraswati. By reinterpreting the conventions of religious iconography, she explored the possibilities of re-imagining the traditional image into new, agreeable forms. Gyatri Spivak, an art critic, argues that if we can learn fixed meanings for terms through the processes of ideological interpellation, we can also 'unlearn' those meanings by questioning their fixity. In this case, self-representation of the artist as Saraswati can be seen as an example of such 'unlearning'. Her self-incarnated divine image challenges fixed knowledge-centres and re-locates them to keyboards that anyone can access. On another level, maybe Ragini was 'unlearning' the traditional cultic imagery of the goddess of knowledge and re-imagining a goddess in every mortal human being, including herself. As I see it, the painting is not only liberal and religious, but also very political because it captures the mood of historic times when the power of mortals forced a supposed incarnation of Vishnu to step down. In addition, the embodiment of the artist in devotional iconic features, combined with material goods such as computers and a cell phone, in my understanding, was an effort to bring divinity and humanity closer in an age of modernity. The artist used free play of signifiers—both divine and mundane—to reconstruct divinity in a contemporary form. Combination of the half-human and half-divine figure demystified the beliefs and religious rigidities that have remained resistant to change, even when the nation has been undergoing multiple changes.

Benedict Anderson argues in his book Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism that "print capitalism" has unleashed the new power of technology on the world, and the revolution of mass media has helped create new cultural affinities and national borders. While Ragini's exhibition was similarly concerned with the technological aspects of globalisation, it simultaneously pointed to the blurring of national and religious borders because of technology. Her paintings also imagine newer religious and mythical forms to redefine cultural meanings in Nepal's post-conflict period. Instead of reproducing religious icons mechanically, she tried to fill in elements of its presence in time and space. She merely revised the political and divine 'aura' of the period and used her artistic imagination to create new, emergent forms in the age of mechanical reproduction. People need to understand that the image that caused the current controversy is not merely meant to be a simple reproduction of the religious icon.

I have come to believe that we can form as many religious fraternity groups as we want, but if doctrinaire religious views are not redefined, no group will lead anyone anywhere. In times of virtual reality, when cultic-gods are being replaced by techno-gods, when some spiritual babas have formed political parties and have crusaded against political corruption while other babas have acquired a new taste for hi-fi commercial commodities like Rolex watches and fancy communicative gadgets, why can't an iconic god or goddess take on a new, agreeable makeover? Knowledge is never stagnant; it is a stream of fresh and free thoughts that flows across the horizon of our daily experiences. Religious knowledge can only survive if it redefines itself into pragmatic moralism, rooted in humanitarian values and causes. Unless we redefine and rewrite

rigid theological metaphysical beliefs, those beliefs will never reach new heights. Chained, domesticated religious interpretations and rigid theological dogmas will eventually lose religious credentials.

Ragini's painting is about more than the religious aspect—it has successfully blended contextual political concerns and religious concerns in an alternative humanitarian form that de-constitutes and situates (but never rejects) the essence of religious imagination.

Published in Kathmandu Post

Art Attack by Abhi Subedi

2010-12-29T08:09:00.006+05:30

As always Abhi Subedi provides very fine words for my paintings.

Art Attack

A unique visual of Nepali politics is on display at Siddhartha Art Gallery in Kathmandu. This is an exhibition of paintings executed by the well-known mature artist Ragini Upadhyay Grela. She has used oil, drawings and intaglio in her works. One afternoon, I visited the gallery to see her paintings mainly executed round the theme of current Nepali politics. The occasion was Gaijatra, literally translated as cow festival, which is a famous Newar festival. This day triggers ambivalent impulses of fun and sadness. Fun is associated with sadness because Pratap Malla’s queen, inconsolable after the death of their son, had laughed at seeing the fun and frolic created on this occasion. According to historians, the originary of this festival can be traced from much earlier times. However, the dead become the motif of the festival on this day. A combination of street performativity and memory of the dead constitute the uniqueness of this culture.

But when I met this artist fluently interpreting her entire art to show the weakness of Nepali politics and politicians, I became very pensive. I have done art criticism since 1971; and as a theatre person, I have used the wisdom, semiotics and symbolism of this festival for my plays as well as for my book on the history of Nepali theatre. But what struck me here was the sheer politics—the burlesque and the anti-climactic moments of Nepali politics created in art form. I know Nepali politics is not the sublime; it is not the only subject of discussion among Nepali artists and writers. But to see this Nepali artist with an international reputation dwelling passionately on the current absurdities that she sees in Nepali politics is a subject of tremendous significance. It raises questions of the following nature.

Has the current political imbroglio so completely dominated Nepali artists’ imaginaire as in this exhibition? Has Nepali art always been so responsive to the political consequences of current Nepali history? Why did the artist become so sensitive to the present state of stalemate in negotiations among the parties? I have heard about the bravado of artists and some writers about the political changes and being sensitive to the events in the past years. Some have used the often-repeated stories of their involvement in creating history as artists. But what is never seen is the picture of Nepali history when it was embroiled in the 10-year war.

No artist has significantly made any paintings on the fate of those who have lost their lives, lost their properties and become victims of war and homeless. We tried to talk to war victims from different places in the country for theatre. Their stories were heart-rending, but performing the same was not possible because the people who would be linked to the events would not allow the show to go ahead in their areas.

To artists and writers, that sombre history mostly remained invisible. Of course, some good works have been written. Semioticists found the impact, the devastation and the faces of the victims and their plight photogenic. Important and sleek volumes have been published; exhibitions have been held in different parts of the country. It is easy to do photographic works and media dissemination of the same. But to execute a similar number of paintings or sculpt works on the gory themes and disseminate the same is not possible for painters and artists.

Poets have been going to different places and reading their symbolic poems. Plays have been taken to villages and performed by good theatre artists. But for artists, it is not easy to take their works and exhibit them in different places. The question why comes up. The answer is that artists cannot execute paintings as easily in different situations as media people can manage it.

Artist Durga Baral made strong paintings about the war and cartoons of the cow metaphor; several young artists too have executed paintings about the war and its consequences. But of necessity, they had to choose galleries to exhibit them. Very few people go to see the paintings.

But Ragini’s intaglios and drawings have drawn so much attention recently in the capital. Her fluent interpretation of her figures did not make me feel happy. I quietly wanted to see her exquisite works on my own. She is a very talented artist. Her lines are amazing. She draws lines without using erasers or pencils. In her intaglio, her combination of colours is powerful and charming. Her print works are very fine; she can give an expressionistic mode to her print works. Many artists who use her medium have ended up in the twilight zone of decorative and expressive art. But Ragini has transcended that. She has exhibited her works in Europe, India and Nepal. She is one of the few Nepali artists who sell their works at good prices. In this exhibition, I found her drawings very interesting and powerful. Though it takes her less time to execute them, they impressed me, I must confess, more than her much hyped intaglio cow figures and figurines in some cases.

Ragini’s cow images are amazingly beautiful despite the burden of the bizarre theme she attributes to them. Her cows are dismembered. Some of them are in the belly of the lion that has devoured her. They yield not milk but explosives; people are exploiting her. The cow is people, suavity and the country. Lions are cheats. People are dishonest. But it is a different experience to see these bizarre figures. They do not frighten the viewers. The cows, even in their precariously imposed symbolism by the artist, give the impression of folktales and fables.

But what I find difficult and also feel intrigued about is the combination of fables and fabulation. Ragini like a Christian artist valorising a Christian theme is projecting the Hindu holy-cowism in her works. That could be a limitation; but for Hindu viewers and others who know the culture, that is a natural symbolism. But the paintings and the rhetoric of the artist exaggerate the so-called evil of politics. Valorising the holiness of the cow and feudal Hindu values, abusing the democratic system of government and the present state of political awareness, and ignoring the multiple openings of consciousness is not a progressive concept in art.

A cow’s body parts are falling off. The artist and the media said that this was the dissolution of the country’s body under a federal structure. The news spread; and I was told that Chitra Bahadur K.C., an anti-federalist communist leader, was going to speak on it at the gallery. That would perhaps be K.C.’s first painting encounter in life. But he would speak about his usual politics, not about art.

Ragini is a very good artist; she is a good friend. I will tell her what I feel about her work. But I would like to warn the politicians of this country that their reputation is plummeting; and very soon it will go down in people’s psyche through art, songs, poems, stories and folklore. Better change your ways and write the constitution before you are given permanent places of tricksters in paintings and folktales. Remember, the people’s patience with your politics is running out.

Abhi Subedi
Originally posted on: 2010-09-01 08:37

Do not miss the web gallery

and my main website

Love Bells a remake

2010-12-26T16:18:00.005+05:30

Albert got a new version of his morphing software and had to experiment it with the Love Bells. It comes quite nice.

You could also look at his other videos on Youtube - just search bubur5

Enjoy

Buddha series a new video

2010-12-26T15:45:00.004+05:30

Back in 2002 I introduced the Buddha series with these words :

"A sun never dies, Buddha lights and Truth shines

Since the beginning of time the sun never died so is the real and authentic Truth, it lasts generation after generation despite the oppression, the violence or any obscurantism.

The Truth is wisdom and has to be nurtured day after day.

The world during the last 15 months seems to me to have forgotten the path to Truth and wisdom. Very close to us in Nepal, the 1st of June royal massacre has instilled a lasting sorrow and a desperate thirst for genuine Truth. Across the oceans, the unthinkable terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in New York has given us apocalyptic images that are going to be replayed for some generations as a proof of the extreme vulnerability of modern societies in face of fanaticisms. The destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha in Afghanistan was an other blow to the fundamentals of humanity and culture. It was an act of arrogant ignorance and total disrespect for the world cultural heritage.

I am still completely puzzled by the magnitude and the depth of such violence , arrogance and disrespect for Life. Are these people putting themselves in the place of Gods. Are they the precursors of KALKIN, the forthcoming reincarnation of Vishnu, supposed to destroy the whole Creation ?

Life is already so short when it comes to build knowledge and wisdom. It is already so tedious the know something in this existence, how can so many work to so much destruction and hate ?

In this confusion, I felt very healed by the peaceful images of Buddha and I felt compelled to emulate the long succession of artists who found in Buddha a profound source of inspiration and a strong desire to propagate his shining message of compassion, peace and tolerance.

So here are my Buddhas, very afflicted by the catastrophes plaguing the humanity , torn apart in some pictures but delivering tirelessly their injunction to meditation, self-control, peace and compassion.

May peace prevail. "

Today Albert gives a new lease of life to this very nice series of colographs

You may also visit : http://users.skynet.be/ragini_art/a_sun_never_dies/a_sun_index.htm

Dusting off an old article - Ragini's political stand 1995

2010-11-28T09:59:00.004+05:30

From Maurice O’Riordan
Asian Art News – August 1995

Myth and politics have always been a strong and inextricable themes in the artistic career of Ragini Upadhayay-Grela, one of the few fully professional artists working in Nepal today. The title, The Myth of Politics, for her most recent exhibition of 21 paintings was borrowed from an American academic who interviewed her for a thesis on women in South Asian political life It is from this that Upadhayay-Grela explores the joining of power and human destiny. At a more local and contemporary level it also portrayed elections in Nepal (in November 1994) which saw the collapse of the ruling Congress Party and the installation of the Communist Party Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPNUML) minority government.

One work which stands out in contrast to the turbulence is Let Them Bark. I Go My Own Way, dedicated to her late father and a center piece to the show. This rather proud and defiant title could easily serve as a motto for Upadhayay-Grela's artistic career. The I of the painting is an impressive elephant lyrically depicted in motion and profiled with several heads at either end. Inside the elephant Upadhayay-Grela has suggested a landscape with angular distant mountain peaks and spiraling water. In the foreground is a consistent symbol in her work, poetic birds in flight or contemplation. Encroaching upon the elephant (but no match for its serene and steady course) are the multitude of hounds suitably cruel and ferocious looking but obviously more bark than bite. These hounds also border the top of the painting and fulfill the failure of their futile menacing by appearing to chase their own tails.

The timelessness to which Queen refers in The Mytb of Politics relates not only to human politics but also to rudimentary forms, subtle layering of hand prints and color absorption into the handmade paper which evoke the aura and vitality of ancient rock art. It would be wrong, however, to think that Upadhayay-Grela's paintings only offer a 'bemused' response to political life. The symbols in her narrative reveal a far more profound and poetic investigation. Game of Blood, for example, makes no pretense about the brutal culture of politics while drawing upon a uniquely Nepalese blood-lust context with the Kumari, Khukuri, and goat.

The Myth of Politics sheds some light on issues raised in a recent overview of contemporary art in Nepal (Asian Art News, Volume 4, Number 5, September/October 1994). Politics is integral part of Nepali life which in some way accounts for Upadhayay-Grela's choice of theme, as her artistic intention has always been to produce socially meaningful and relevant work. Among the obstacles facing Nepal's contemporary art community the most prevalent are a lack of exposure and exchange. Upadhayay-Grela's enormous body of work builds effectively on the Nepali traditions and techniques with a universality and individuality that exposes the limitations of national or contemporary classifications.

In terms of exposure and exchange, Upadhayay-Grela's career echoes the path of the more successful Nepalese artists with initial fine arts training abroad (India) and participation in a number of international workshops, residencies, and exhibitions. Being part of a more global contemporary art scene has no doubt given the humanism of her work greater scope, opening it up to varying modes of expression and more sophisticated media, particularly in terms of printmaking. With The Mytb of Politics, Upadhayay-Grela shows that, although she is an artist in constant quest of new ways and forms of expression, she remains true to the symbols and subject matter which are close to the heart of her Nepalese cultural heritage.

In Election 94, Upadhayay-Grela built upon the imagery used by the two elections rivals: the Tree for the Congress Party and the Sun for the CPU‑UML, as well as party flags and political slogans. Throughout Nepal one finds a proliferation of these two key symbols vying for public wall space. Ragini did not hesitate to explain that the prominent tree with its attendant mermaid-goat on the left hand side of Election 94 was a direct copy of an ancient Nepalese folk symbol. For Upadhayay-Grela the appeal of such symbols lies in their potent contemporary and ancient duality and this is arguably the overall strength and effect of the exhibition. A central motif in Election 94 and another, the ten headed human form based on the ten fold incarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu, complete with the prosaic addition of sunglasses and umbrella represent the duality of the political climate perhaps, with the Communist Sun, for the time being, victorious above.

The Mytb of Politics was met with a number of enthusiastic reviews in the local press. A review in the newspaper 7be Rising Nepal challenged the degree to, which Upadhayay-Grela had delved into such a loaded subject as politics given its heightened Nepali context. The criticism was, in part, a response to the artists' reliance upon children's folk story telling traditions as the allegorical Truth behind many of her paintings: for example, The Rabbit and the Tortoise and Tbe Matsyanyaya Big (Fish) Eat Small Fish. Perhaps it is fair to say that Upadhayay-Grela is more interested in myth than in politics. Her intuitive style and the unequivocal morality of these folk narratives blend a child-like simplicity and wonder to these paintings which is part of their charm.

Dr. Abhi Subedi observed in his catalogue essay: "Ragini's political paintings do not project the grim and violent post-modernist images of the political myth of the recent times." There is unbridled optimism in the love of experimentation, in the vitality of her symbolism and the continuity of her artistic folklore heritage. As with all mythology, her work conveys a sense of timelessness, partly because of her technique, but mostly because of the human players in her narratives, those who are hungry for the power of The Chair, but are no more than the spirit of mythologies that have come before and will ultimately outlive them.

Maurice O’Riordan
Asian Art News – August 1995

Visit my picture gallery : http://picasaweb.google.com/ragini.grela

Gai Jatra on canvases

2010-10-13T16:01:00.005+05:30

KATHMANDU, Aug 26: Ragini Upadhyay Grela might have had controversies surrounding her after her resignation from the Nepal Art Academy. However, the sassy painter does not seem to be bothered as she continues to do what she does best.

Gai Jatra, her latest art series currently on display at the Siddhartha Art Gallery at Baber Maha Revisited is undeniably an interesting series to go through. Coinciding with this year’s Gai Jatra day, the series fully follows the ethos of the festival.

Her paintings parody the current political fiasco and the power-hungry politicians of Nepal. About the series, Sangeeta Thapa, curator of the gallery, rightly puts in, “Ragini’s Gai Jatra is a witty and vibrant exhibition that captures the farce of the ongoing socio-political situation in Nepal.”

The Gai (cow) symbolizing Nepal as the enduring mother nation, but beset by lions with snake-like tongues and tails, symbolizing the so-called rulers of the nation and the Goddess Kumari, temples and chaityas symbolizing the cultural dignity of our country make up most of her paintings.

She continues to use many flying or suspended images, and with the additional sense of Gai Jatra, her subjects are even more topsy-turvy than usual. There are tons of symbolic images on a single canvas, and that is what keeps you pulled in.

In one of her paintings entitled “Divided Nepal,” the beasts or lions clawing on a cow shred her to pieces as the eyes of Kumari watch in distress. In another, while the beast donning a bhadgaunle topi (hat) leaps greedily onto a chair, the cow stares at it, all powerless. Dismantled traffic lights, electric wires, dysfunctional bulbs, cows milked excessively till they bleed, and alarming temple bells are some repeatedly used themes and images in her paintings.

For colors, Ragini sticks to bright yellow, pink, green, red and white, keeping in tune with the festive spirit of Gai Jatra. Cows are also ornamented likewise in the festival. However, the painter says it reminds her of “how politicians use the name of public in their speeches in very ornamented and different ways for the sake of public support, but they aren’t even concerned about what the public wants.”

Though filled with symbolism, the viewers will easily be able to relate and empathize with Ragini’s paintings.

“I see Nepal in a permanent Gai Jatra situation,” says Ragini about the unending political feuds and chaotic situation in the country. And for the awareness of all this, she has echoed her wake-up call through her symbolic images in the paintings.

Ragini’s Gai Jatra works will be on display at the said venue till September 20, and for a Gai Jatra fun, this artistic parody is not to be missed out on.

Visit my other pages : ragini-art.com and the picassa gallery

Opening of Double Vision in Gallery Epreuve d’Artiste – Nepalese artists in Antwerpen - Belgium

2010-10-02T23:53:00.003+05:30

A nice crowd gathered for the exhibit regrouping for the fourth time, the prints of the Ragini Upadhyay, Seema Sharma Shah, Gea Karhof and Nan Mulder. Ragini Upadhayay and Seema Sharma are established Nepalese artists, Gea Karhof and Nan Mulder are originally Dutch but Nan lives now in Edinburgh. The group had previously displayed their work together in Edinburgh, Kathmandu and Haarlem

On first October 2010, a heavy evening rain was an uninvited guest but it did not deterred, the Nepalese ambassador and several members of the Nepalese Embassy in Belgium to come to honour some of the most celebrated artists of Nepal.

His Excellency P.K Hamal spoke highly about the convergence in humanity that these East-West artistic gathering produce. He emphasised the mutual enrichment and deepening of cultural roots resulting from the show.

Gea and Nan explained how their journeys in Nepal, India, Sri Lanka have influenced their work both in shape and concepts.

Ragini developed her vision of an omnipotent Time that she represents very graphically in her Time Wheel series. She added a few words about the Third Eye of the Kumari which allows to see beyond the appearances.

The combination of the four artists provides a unique echo chamber of artistic and philosophical concepts. The cultural continuum is remarkable despite the strong individuality of the artists.

The exhibition is hosted by Chris Verheyen at the Gallery Epreuve d’Artiste in Oudekerkstraat 64, 2018 Antwerpen. The display lasts until the 17 October 2010. The gallery can be contacted by email : epreuvedartiste@skynet.com or telephone :03/238.68. 58 . Opening hours : 14 to 18 on Saturdays and Sundays ; on appointment only during week days.

The photos of the opening on :

http://picasaweb.google.com/Albert.Grela/OpeningInAntwerpenAtTheGaleryEpreuveDArtiste#

More on the artists web pages : http://ragini-art.com, http://www.nammulder.com, http://www.geakarhof.nl , http://www.umaseema.com

Albert Grela

2010-02-27T17:45:00.005+05:30

A walk in the clouds

By Anwer Mooraj

Sunday, 21 Feb, 2010

Most visitors who flocked to the well-publicised exhibition of the Nepali artist Ragini Upadhyay Grela at Gallery 919, Karachi, on February 13 were somewhat mystified by what they saw. Perhaps it was because Grela’s work was unlike anything they had come across before. Or because they felt there was certain ambivalence about her art which appeared at once both childlike and highly sophisticated and had to be viewed with a morbid relish.

Habitués of exhibitions in Karachi are accustomed to tasting the fruits of realism and occasional forays into the world of the abstract—towards which a large number of local young painters is gravitating. The symbolic and emblematic imagery that this cerebral artist from Katmandu presented, though it was classy and urbane, had for many viewers a disparaging uniqueness to which they could not relate.

But if the visitor probed a little deeper, he would uncover a world of fantasy, hope and enlightenment. ‘Love in the Air’, the title of the exhibition, is faithful to the script. Everything that moves does so high above the ground, way up in the clouds.

Though there appears a constant striving for man and woman to come together as they whimsically frolic on a celestial trapeze, the love that the artist is trying to portray has a much deeper significance.

It has an almost subliminal, religious base, and is, in fact, a discourse on the love for God, the Creator of all things. Underlying the theme are the symbols of globalisation which, along with historical buildings and monuments, insinuate themselves into every frame and run like a thread through the fabric of the pictorial dissertation.

The items that were common to most of the compositions were the popular tourist structures that one sees on picture postcards, along with TV and computer screens and mobile phones. Often the women are portrayed as avenging deities and even the goddesses Laxmi and Saraswati, and the Buddhist goddess Nairatma appear conversant with the accoutrements of modern technology.

Sangita Thapa, curator of the Siddhartha Gallery in Katmandu, once pointed out that Grela often portrays the female form as enlightened beings that make satirical comments on the failings of politicians.

Among other pictures that the visitor saw was a nude riding an elephant over a tilting church steeple and pagoda; a couple on a horse or kissing somewhere in the stratosphere with a telephone wire and cradle dangling from the woman’s calf; a woman with the head of a bird sitting on a cell phone; a couple flying over Big Ben and the Taj Mahal while the Statue of Liberty clutches a mobile phone; a woman flying towards a pram; a snake flying over buildings; a woman on an albatross; women and children flying over the Blue Mosque; a couple atop a quartet of galloping horses after somebody has pulled away the chariot.

The Eiffel Tower also pops up somewhere and there is even a woman wearing hijab sailing through the breeze on a flying carpet! And somehow or other, a bull found himself on top of a factory chimney.

Altogether, there were 32 exhibits, including digital works manually enhanced on canvas, etchings in mixed media and two ‘unique prints’ whose prices ranged between Rs40,000 and 50,000. Each of the four acrylics in which real gold was used on a traditional canvas was priced at Rs476,256.

Grela is very much a part of mainstream Nepali art—along with Urmila Upadhayay Garg, Pramila Giri and Shashi Kala Tiwari—all worthy successors to the pioneer women painters Jawala Shama, Bhadru Kumari and Sihi Pyari.

Grela has had considerable international exposure. She has studied in Germany and the United Kingdom, and is married to a Belgian. She has a formidable personal record of 56 solo exhibitions and has participated in 14 group shows where she always strives to be the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree. Outside of Nepal and India, her works have been seen in Belgium, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Austria and Japan.

She has also had numerous appointments and has bagged three prizes and awards, one of which was in the United Kingdom. People who bought her works reside in 24 countries scattered around the globe.

The display which was inaugurated by Mushtaq Chhapra, honorary consul general for Nepal, was her third solo offering in Karachi. It is one that will stay in the mind for a long time.

Love in the Air - Karachi

2010-02-27T17:13:00.000+05:30

Love in the Air - Metaphors of love

Text and photos by Ameer H Ahmad

KARACHI: Nepali artist Ragini Upadhyay Grela is in Karachi once again for her solo exhibition at the Galleria 919 titled “Love in the Air”, the realisation of which has been with her since 2008.

Thanking the 21st century technological advancements, which have reduced distances between loved ones, she said she could feel the love in the air, wherever she looked.

She said the widespread use of computers and mobile phones has made communicating easier with the person you love, as it reduces distances not just between lovers, but also between families and friends.

In this series of works, she celebrates both technology and lovers together, combining elements like computers, mobile phones and keyboards with half-animal and half-human figures.

Figures fly across famous landmarks like the Taj Mahal, Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower and the Great Wall of China; and physical distances and cultural divides melt away as these figures communicate their love through the air.

She has replaced some of the traditional attributes of Hindu Goddesses such as Laxmi or Sarwasti with the modern tools of knowledge and financial power.

Lotus, clubs, bows are turned into mobile phones and computers.

In some of her works, she has used the traditional Thanka painting technique with real gold and silver paint. Her work echoes with the works of Marc Chagall, a Russian-French artist, but hers is transcontinental and modern.

She combines references from the east and the west, an insight into which she gained during her studies in India, England and Germany, and through her extensive travels all over the world.

Grela draws inspiration from both secular and mythological sources, the latter from Hindu and Buddhist myths.

She is a symbolic artist and it is constantly visible in her work.

She has had more then 70 solo and group exhibitions in more then 23 countries.

She is a graduate of Fine Arts from Lucknow University and is a member of the Oxford Printmakers, and her first exhibition was held in 1979 in Nepal. Having been a visiting lecturer at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture; the Karachi School of Arts; and the School of Art and Design, Jamshoro, this is her third solo show in Karachi and she has had two solo exhibitions and one group exhibition in Pakistan.

The gallery will continue the exhibition of her paintings and prints until February 27.

Love in the Air travels to Karachi

2010-01-22T22:28:00.005+05:30

The invitations have been printed and the Honorary Consul of Nepal, the Honourable Mushtaq K. Chhapra will be the chief guest. The show opens on February 13 2010 at 5:30 pm at the Galleria 919 (http://www.galleria919.com ).

It is located :
108/2 3rd Avenue.
Block-5. Clifton.
Karachi. Pakistan.
Phone: +92 21 5833681-2
Fax: +92 21 5871286
Email: info@galleria919.com

The exhibition will be on display until the Saturday 27 th February 2010

You could have a look at the online presentation : http://picasaweb.google.com/ragini.grela/LoveInTheAir2008#

The other URL : http://ragini-art.com provides a more comprehensive coverage.

I hope to see many of you during the exhibition.

Cheers !!!!

Ragini at Riddaren Gallery - Stockholm

2009-09-13T23:05:00.007+05:30

It was a great success : 18 works were sold out of 24 exhibited.

Thanks a lot to Anna Karin, Matz, Carl, Lena, Brigitta and all the clients and well wishers.

Have a look at the photo gallery : click here

The fully developed website is at url :

http://ragini-art.com

Exhibition in Stockholm, August 2009

2009-05-30T09:26:00.006+05:30

Plans with the Gallery Riddaren started a long time ago but it is now certain that my work will hang on their walls from the 22nd to 28th of August 2009. Much of the exhibit will be made with the Love in Air and the Time Series collections. The gallery is located at Köpmanbrinken, 8 in Stockholm. I will give a small talk about the women challenges in Nepal at 5 pm on the opening day. I look forward to seeing you all at this occasion.

In the meantime, have a look at my Picasa Gallery and my web site : http://ragini-art.com

Price updates

2009-05-02T10:13:00.008+05:30

Due to a sudden peak demand for my work, I realized that I had forgotten to update my price list during many years. I did it finally and many of my recent works published on the Internet have received an indicative price tag.

Visit my Picasa web galleries for the details :

Love in the air

Love Bells

Ragini for Scotland 2007

To find my place you can search Ragini Kathmandu in http://maps.google.com/

or click here

visit also the more static : ragini-art.com

Ragini's World by media for freedom

2009-02-25T12:51:00.002+05:30

By: media for freedom

Posted on: 2/23/2009

Ragini's World

Kathmandu, Nepal: Artist Ragini Upadhyaya tries to see the world through the new technological order

By A CORRESPONDENT

The world of artist and poet is unlimited. If someone has imagination and vision, they can catch it. But, translating the whole thinking in the canvas requires the vision, tranquility in mind as well as capability.

This is what one can see in the solo art exhibition Love in The Air of renowned artist Ragini Upadhyay Grela. Inaugurated by EU Charge d' affairs Dr. Alexander Spachis, the exhibition which is currently going on in Siddhartha Art Gallery in Babar Mahal, the exhibition is creative as well as full of perception of artist Upadhyay.

Artist Upadhayay's art works speak well about her well-heeded journey to the world that enjoys and appreciates the modern communication and wired to the world. In her arts, many well known monuments of the world appear in her paintings. Whether it is Eiffle Tower of France or Taj Mahal of India and the historical and culturally importance monuments of Nepal, one can see them in her paintings.

As usual, artist Upadhyay's paintings have also some political smell as she painted the present political alliance flying in the sky with all modern amenities. She sees Prachanda, Girija Prasad Koirala, Madhav Kumar Nepal and Upendra Yadav on her paintings. Produced in 2008, Ragini's paintings are full of meanings and imaginations. Her experiments with the modern technology and traditional ways with respect to historical monuments are remarkable.

"Many international monuments make their appearances as a cultural reference of her travel," said Sangita Thapa, Curator of Siddhartha Art Gallery. "The physical distance and cultural divide between countries melt away and are seen as inconsequential as Ragini skilfully places the monuments and iconography from her own country to the same canvas."

In this exhibition, artist Upadhyay gives supreme importance to the modern equipments of communication, even the goddess Laxmi and Saraswati now wield modern means of communication. "Very often, she portrays the female form as avenging goddesses or enlightened being to make satirical comments on failings of politics and politicians," said Thapa.

After looking at the paintings of artist Ragini, one can see the influence of her recent visit to Europe. The magic of modern communication network and their powerful presence are reflected on her paintings.

"It is strongly inspired by my recent trip to Europe which have marked my mind with places and communication habits," said artist Upadhyay. "The omnipresence of computers, mobile phones, PDA is for me a great opportunity. There is magic in the air which makes full of messages and vibrant. The reference to famous landmarks such as Taj Mahal, Eiffel tower or the Statue of Liberty expresses my perception of the global culture, global village and global background for love. I have also replaced some of attributes of traditional forms of goddesses," said the artist.

Ragini has proved herself different than other artists in this exhibition. She displayed her creation full of imagination and the perfection of elaborating them in canvas. As it is said, an artist does not belong to any country as they see the entire world as their home. Ragini displayed that her imagination ranged from local cultural monuments as well as world's renowned monuments with the perfect combination when they are linked by the modern means of communications.

Selections of colors combined with her paintings make them lively. "I studied in Germany and UK and travelled all over Europe and I married a Belgian man. As a Nepali, I enjoy my life in Nepal," she said. The Exhibition will continue till March 8.

Source:Spotlight.

Love in the Air opens at Siddartha Gallery on Sunday 8th February 2009 at 5:30 pm

2009-02-08T11:25:00.016+05:30

Dr. Alexander SPACHIS
Minister - Counsellor, Charge d'affaires a.i, European Union
has kindly consented to open the exhibition
on Sunday 8th February 2009 at 5:30 pm

Click here to watch the whole series

The opening had to face an usual power outage and visitors enjoyed the works at candle light.

Click here to see the articles published in Nepal

Even cowgirls get the blues - by BHUSHITA VASISTHA in myrepublica.com

2009-02-06T06:53:00.000+05:30

“Love is in the air
In the whisper of the tree
And I don´t know if I´m just dreaming”

When Australian singer John Paul Young wrote these famous words in 1978, it had been just five years since the first cell phone (Motorola Dyna-Tacthe) hit the market, and SMS was still to be discovered. Naturally, it felt as if he was “dreaming” to feel “love in the air”.
In 2007, twenty-nine years after the song was released, Nepali artist Ragini Upadhyay Grela felt she wasn’t just dreaming, thanks to her mobile phone and its SMS function in particular, to feel love in the air.

“It was during my stay in Vienna when I realized how air has become the carrier of love,” the artist said, explaining the muse behind her forty-ninth solo exhibition - “Love in the Air”. The show will kick off from Saturday at Siddhartha Art Gallery, Babar Mahal.
“I was staying with a woman who was in love, and she used the text message to express it to her beloved. Suddenly, for me, it wasn’t the same air I had been breathing all my life. It was so special, it was love!”

The exhibition has fifty-three art works, mostly mixed media. In this series, she has celebrated both information technology and lovers together. The half-animal, half-human figures, idiosyncratic of Ragini’s work, fly across the Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty and Ghanta Ghar with messages of love popping through her cell phones and computers.
She said the exhibition is a welcome to Valentine’s Day, which is just around the corner.

As usual, some of her art gives strong political commentaries. For instance, in one satiric picture, she makes fun of five major political leaders of Nepal, who are trying to light the whole country with a small candle.

“Really, it is weird to see their response to recent power cuts. Information technology has worked miracles in the world, while in Nepal we’re still struggling to have our room lit with electric bulbs." she lamented.

A graduate of Fine Arts from Lucknow University, Upadhyay grew up in a small village in Ramnagar, a border town on the Indian side. As a farmer her father’s biggest dream for his daughter was to be a graduate, it didn’t matter in which subject.

So, she was sent to Allahabad, India, to pursue her studies. But for Ragini there was something in academics which didn’t click at all. “Slowly my parents weren’t surprised to learn I flunked my subjects,” she smiled, sighed, and smiled again.

After completing her high school level studies, Ragini knew if there was anything she could graduate in, it was art. “You wouldn’t believe it, I couldn’t copy good hand-writing but could emulate every other face I saw.”

“It was very difficult to study art then. My mother showed a thousand and one reasons not to study it.” She added, “But I had made up my mind. I told her if I couldn’t study art, she had better start looking for a suitor.”

Upadhyay had her first exhibition in 1979 and never looked back, although financially the days weren’t as easy. “As an artist, I was always paid in terms of my satisfaction. However, we need to cultivate an aesthetic culture in Nepal as well.”

“For instance, people live in a house worth millions and hang a poster of Bangkok.”

In her experience, the rapidity with which Indian society is catching up with art is a lesson for Nepal. During artist’s stay in Gadhi Art Village at India in 1984, there was an extremely talented senior artist named Himmat Shah. But Shah was so poor he couldn’t pay the nominal rent charge for his studio, let alone pay to have two good meals a day. “But now, within some decades, Shah has become a big-shot artist in India, while his contemporary Nepali artists are still having hand-to-mouth problems.”

bhushita@myrepublica.com
Published on 2009-02-06 21:31:00

How to reach Ragini Art Village

2008-08-26T05:16:00.003+05:30

View Ragini Art Village - Balkot in a larger map

Ragini CV July 2008

2008-07-24T08:05:00.028+05:30

Ragini – oil painter and print maker

Education

1982- Graduated in Fine Arts from Arts and Crafts College, Lucknow (India).

1983-1985 - Studied the print’s techniques at the Artist Corner-Lalit Kala Academy, Garhi, New Delhi (India)

11-1987 to 03-1988 - Fellowship sponsored by the British Council in Peacock Printmaker in Aberdeen (Scotland) and 3 months in Oxford Printmaker (England),

10-1989 to 03-1990 - 5 months course at the Künste Akademy of Stuttgard sponsored by the German-Nepal help Association,.

Professional appointment

1992, 1994, 1996 - Guest Artist at the Radier Werkstadt, Kampen (Germany).

April-May 1996 - Visiting lecturer at the Lahti’s Fine Art Institute and Türku Fine Art Institute (Finland).

1996 - Visiting Lecturer at Indus school of Art. Karachi. Pakistan

1998,1999- Visiting lecturer at the Helsingborg Museum, Sweden.

2006, 2007 - Visiting Lecturer at Karachi school of Arts and School of Art and Design , Jamshoro, Pakistan

Member of BP Koirala Foundation since 2006

Solo exhibitions

1979	National Association of Fine Art, Kathmandu in the presence of late poet Bal Krishna Sharma
1980	Royal Nepal Airlines, Kathmandu
1981	October Gallery, Vajera Hotel, Kathmandu
1981	Fine Art Academy of Lucknow (India).Sponsored by Lalit Kala Academy of Lucknow and opened by late B.P. Koirala
1982	Morya Hotel, Patna (India).
1983	Fine Art Academy of India, Ravindra Bhawan (New Delhi), sponsored by the Nepalese Embassy in India.
1985	October Gallery in Vajera Hotel, Kathmandu.
1986	National Association of Fine Art, Kathmandu, opened by her Majesty the Queen of Nepal
1987	October Gallery in Vajera Hotel, Kathmandu.
1988	British Council Hall, Kathmandu, inaugurated by the Prime Minister Mr Marish Man Singh.
1989	Deutsch-Nepalischen Hilfgemeinschaft, Stuttgart(Germany).
1990	Goethe Institute , Frankfurt (Germany), guests of honours : the Consul of Nepal in Frankfurt and late Mrs Busak
1990	Goethe Institute , Schwabish Hall (Germany)
1990	Goethe Institute , Kathmandu opened by the Prime Minister Mr Krishna Prashad Bhattrai
1991	Shimba Gallery at Tokoshima (Japan)
1991	Ujuka Gallery at Naruto (Japan)
1991	Hananj restaurant and gallery at Kamojima (Japan)
1992	British Council Hall , Kathmandu
1992	Galerie Art du Temps, Verviers (Belgium)
1992	Galerie Eglau, Radier Werkstadt, at Kampen (Germany)
1994	French Cultural Centre, Kathmandu, & Galerie Eglau, Radier Werkstadt, at Kampen (Germany) title : « Politics, Dust and Love»
1994	Gallery Gamlastan, Helsingborg (Sweden)
1995	National Fine Art Association, Kathmandu, title : « The Myth of Politics »
1995	Gallery S, Eupen (Belgium)
1996	Gallery Joella, Türku (Finland) title : « Windows »
1996	Majuma Art Gallery, Karachi (Pakistan)
1997	Goethe Institute, Kathmandu, “Goddesses and Women, Mythology and Reality”
1997	Grand Hotel, Taipei (Taiwan), as part the YWCA World Meeting on “Violence Against Women”
1998	Gallery Oljemark, Helsinki, sponsored by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nepal Finland Society
1998	Gallery Harmaja, Oulu (Finland) sponsored by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
1998	Gallery Bellange, Atelje, Stockholm, Sweden
1999	Siddhartha Art Gallery, Kathmandu, “Sensitive Women”
2001	Siddhartha Art Gallery, Kathmandu, “Ragini’s Odissey 2001” inaugurated by her Majesty the Queen of Nepal
2001	Studio am Schlob, Berlin
2001	Atelier S, Eupen, Belgium – Inaugurated by H.E. K.P. Shrestha Ambassador of Nepal to the EU
2002	The Sun never dies, Buddha lights and Truth Shines – Kathmandu Sep 2002 – Schorndorf (Germany Sep 2002) - Zielona Gora (Poland)
2003	Permanent display at the International Club – Sanepa – Nepal
2003	Rotary Club, Halle, Belgium
2004	Permanent display at the « GALLERY MOKSH » - Jamsikhel – Lalitpur – Nepal
2005	Time Wheel at Siddhartha Art Gallery, Kathmandu
2006	Time Wheel at the Academy of Fine Art and Literature, New Delhi sponsored ICCR
2006	Time Wheel at the ICCR Gallery, Hyderabad, India
2006	People’s Power at Nafa Art Gallery Kathmandu, opened dpty Prime Minister KP Oli
2007	Sound of Love at Majmua Art Gallery, Karachi Pakistan & Art Shop, Kathmandu
2007	People Power - Culture House ( Manufaktur ) Shorndorf, Germany
2008	Venetian Multiveral Academy, Stoss im Himmel Vienna, Austria
2009	Love in the Air, Siddartha Art Gallery , Kathmandu , Nepal.

Group exhibitions

Kathmandu : 1979, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989,1999
Calcutta (India) : 1980
Madras (India) : 1980
Srinagar (India) : 1980
Tokoshima (Japan) : 1988
Arijiano (Italy) : 1990
Luxembourg : 1992
Liège (Belgium) : 1992
Eupen (Belgium) 1994
Lahti (Finland) : 1996

2007 – GALLERY OPEN EYE, Edinburgh , Scotland , U. K.

2007 - KUNSCENTRUM HAARLEM – Haarlem, Netherlands.

2007 - SIDDARTHA ART GALLERY - Kathmandu, Nepal,

2008 - JAMSHORO School of Art and Design Gallery – Jamshoro – Pakistan

International exhibitions

International Biennial, Lubjiana (ex Yugoslavia), 1983.
International Print Graphic Exhibition, Rafi Marg, New Delhi, 1983 and 1984.
International Asian Biennial, Dhaka (Bangladesh) 1983.
British International Print Biennial, Cardwright Hall, Bradford (England) 1986, Osaka Triennial 1991.

Prizes and awards

National Exhibition Prize (Nepal) 1979, 1985, 1988.
Kate and Robert Wilson Prize, Bradford (UK) 1986.
Birendra Aswaria Memorial Medal Kathmandu 2002.

Present in official collections

Bradford Museum, UK., SARC building, Kathmandu, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Tribhuvan Airport, VVIP room, Kathmandu. Nepal Television Office, Kathmandu, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other governement Offices, Kathmandu, Fine Art Academy, Lucknow, India, King Birendra Art Gallery, Kathmandu, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Japan.

Present in private collections

In Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Nepal, Malaysia, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, United Kingdom, USA.

Contact

Ragini Upadhyay - Grela

Balkot – 1/110, Bhaktapur
Nepal

ragini@mos.com.np

tel : +977 1 6630335

Mobile : +977 98510 52244

VISIT MY WEB SITE : http:\\ragini-art.com

Love in the air 2008

2008-06-14T09:19:00.020+05:30

Love in the Air 2008 - Mixed media etching prints and acrylic paintings on traditional Tanka canevasses with real gold paint.

This series is produced during 2008. It is strongly inspired by my recent trips to Europe which have marked my mind with places and communication habits. The omnipresence of computers, mobile phones, PDA are for me a great opportunity for lovers to exchange feelings and emotions. There is a magic in the air which makes it full of messages and vibration. The reference to famous landmarks such Taj Mahal, Eifel tower or the Statue of Liberty express my perception of the global culture, global village, global background for Love. I visited many of these landmarks and monuments. I also replace some of the traditional attributes of Hindu Goddesses such as Laxmi or Sarwasti with the modern tools of knowledge and financial power.Lotus, clubs, bows are replaced by mobile phone and computers who are so much entering our lifes and transforming the Love and Power game. I like also to mix East & West references because the deep cross fertilisation between Asian and European culture is a fact of my personal life. I studied in Germany and UK, traveled all over Europe and married a Belgian man but I still enjoy my life in Nepal. For these canvasses, I have used a traditional Tanka painting technique with real gold & silver paint.

Hereafter a few clues to decrypt the symbols that I use in the pictures.

Lotus – Symbol of Purity, Education, wisdom.

Horse – Symbol of Feeling and active movement.

Eye - Symbol of Sensitiveness.

Third eye – Symbol of our own soul.

Wire – Symbol of Connection.

Deer - Symbol of heart and mind. jump in a same way as deer.

Flower – Symbol of Love.

Elephant – Symbol of Power.

Bull - Symbol of boldness and assertiveness.

Bird – Symbol of Freedom and unlimited travel.

Tortoise – Symbol of Patience.

Moon – Symbol of Romance.

Clouds – Symbol of Dream.

Colors symbols

Pink – Symbol of Romance.

Sky Blue – Symbol of Freedom and openness.

White – Symbol of Peace.

Gold – valuable and Unique.

Green – Symbol of Positive & Nature

Red - Symbol of Warmth, Excitement, Attraction, Passion .

Purple – Symbol of Mystery.

Yellow – light , sun.

For a full gallery just click here

Time Series slideshow

2008-03-07T18:29:00.004+05:30

The Time Series is a reflection about the absolute power of Time. The irreversible ticking of the clock is unbeatable. Powerful people of the present and the past had to learn that rule too.

An other copy is available on YouTube

You may also visit the Picasa Gallery :
http://picasaweb.google.com/ragini.grela/TimeSeries

and http://ragini-art.com

People Power 2006 a new slideshow

2008-03-07T17:44:00.007+05:30

The compilation of prints is inspired by the popular uprising in Kathmandu during April 2006. It overturned the one man rule imposed by King Gyanendra and restored the parliament prerogatives

An extra copy of the slideshow is available on YouTube

You may also have a look at the Picasa Gallery : http://picasaweb.google.com/ragini.grela/PeoplePower2006

and visit http://ragini-art.com

New dowload for "Let them bark" documentary

2008-02-09T14:15:00.000+05:30

I am extremely honored that Emma Cott and Adrianne Koteen have produced a 10 minutes documentary about my work. It was done during the early winter of 2006 and is entitled "Let them bark".

It is quite good and you can download it.
For those with patience or a good bandwidth, there is a mp4 version (42 Mb) at the following URL : http://www.adrive.com/public/22130262f942f3a4bb0a0e0f39e06f8d4cd9bfe01e0103442298433150a91165.html

You should also visit the presentation of the movie on Emma and Adrienne documentary page. You will find there a button to view the streamlined movie.

Enjoy.

Art for Martyrs' Sake

2008-02-06T17:57:00.000+05:30

This is a nice article written about the "People Power 1990-2006" exhibit.

Click here to download the full article

People Power in Schorndorf - Germany

2007-12-06T03:54:00.000+05:30

VERNISSAGE –

Ragini Upadhdaya - Grela / People Power

30. November 2007 | 20.30 Uhr

Grußwort des Oberbürgermeisters von Schorndorf, Herrn Matthias Klopfer

Einführende Worte von Sabine Reichle-Nolle

Es sind vor allem drei Bereiche, zu denen die bekannte nepalische Künstlerin arbeitet: Die Kraft des Weiblichen, die Beschwörung des Friedens und der politische Machtkampf.

Letzterer ist ihr Thema in den Materialdrucken dieser Ausstellung. Die Arbeiten entstanden angesichts der bis heute dauernden Auseinandersetzung zwischen dem ungeliebten König, den traditionellen politischen Parteien und den allgegenwärtigen Maoisten in Nepal.

Aber nicht die politischen Programme interessieren die Künstlerin, sondern die Psychologie der politischen Akteure. Ihren Ehrgeiz, ihr Streben nach Macht stellt sie – manchmal fast karikierend – dar.

Während ihre Formsprache stark von der europäischen Malerei beeinflusst ist (Ragini studierte Kunst u.a. in Stuttgart) greift ihre Symbolik die alten Mythen ihrer Heimat auf: z.B. wenn Ravana, der 10-köpfige Dämon, für den Politiker steht, dessen wahres Gesicht man nie kennt, oder der Stier für das nepalische Volk, das zwar lange braucht, bis es sich in Bewegung setzt, dann aber kaum aufzuhalten ist.

The pictures are here

More about Ragini on : www.ragini-art.com

Schorndorf exhibition is open

2007-12-04T01:30:00.000+05:30

Club Manufaktur in Schorndorf hosts the "People Power" series until the 15/12/2007

The mayor of the city of Schorndorf , Mr. Matthias Klopfer has inaugurated the exhibition and was presented a Nepali topi.

An other prominent guest was the Director of Kulture house, Schorndorf , Ms . Sabine Reichle – Nolle .

Both speakers have presented the artist and the work exhibited with details and an elaborate understanding of the Nepalese context. This proves how much art and artists act as a bridge between culture and countries.

A recent video documentary about Ragini's work has also been displayed during the inauguration ceremony. The video entitle "Let them bark" highlight the social and cultural depth of the artist's message.

The "People Power" series is a tribute to the popular uprising which restored democratic rule in Nepal in April 2006 often referred as the Andolan 2.

The "People Power " series is available on the Picasa Gallery, just clik here

The video documentary is available on : http://www.ironweedfilms.com/films/letthembark

More background information is available on : www.ragini-art.com

My exhibition in Edinburgh has closed

2007-12-03T12:11:00.000+05:30

My group show with

Nan Mulder, Gea Karhof,and Seema Sharma Shah

at Open Eye Gallery in Edinburgh

The exhibition started on 10th of November 2007. It is a great success with many works sold.

The show is named : Double Vision

It runs from 10th to 28th November 2007

Some more photos are available on my Picasa Gallery just click here

The Open Eye Gallery has a small page with my work, click here to see it but I exhibit more works as show on my gallery RaginiForScotland2007

The second show is in Schorndorf, near Stuttgart, in Germany from the 30th of November to the 14th of December.

The venue is called the Manufaktur and their web site is :
http://www.club-manufaktur.de/

I am very thrilled to meet new people in Scotland and hope to enjoy the reunion with many old friends in Germany.

There is more information about my acquaintance with Germany on my web site in my "German story" pages.

Click here for the "People's Power" gallery.

Some articles about my exhibitions are published in the Kathmandu Post

Ragini

Exhibition in Europe November & December 2007

2007-10-24T14:29:00.001+05:30

It will start with a group show with

Nan Mulder, Gea Karhof,and Seema Sharma Shah

at Open Eye Gallery in Edinburgh

the show is named : Double Vision, it runs from 10th to 28th November 2007

The Open Eye Gallery has a small page with my work, click here to see it but I plan to exhibit more works as show on my gallery RaginiForScotland2007

The second show is in Schorndorf, near Stuttgart, in Germany from the 30th of November to the 14th of December.

The venue is called the Manufaktur and their web site is :
http://www.club-manufaktur.de/

I am very thrilled to meet new people in Scotland and hope to enjoy the reunion with many old friends in Germany.

There is more information about my acquaintance with Germany on my web site in my "German story" pages.

Click here the "People's Power" gallery.

Ragini

People's Power 1990-2006

2007-10-24T14:13:00.000+05:30

For a man fully uneducated in any of the art forms, I had the good fortune of coming across Ragini Upadhyay Grela some ten years ago. In fact, I had sought her out – for a special reason. Tired of speaking to and hearing one another in various regional seminars and dialogues, some of us in the “South Asian civil society” thought of the possibility and the value of bringing together a special group of people to see how creative imagination addresses the social themes engaging our minds at the time. Accordingly, in Dhaka in February 1997, South Asian women and men representing different art forms including literature, the theatre, performing arts and painting and sculpture assembled to make their presentations and share ideas and imaginations on such enduring themes as women in society, social justice and fundamentalism and communalism. Raginiji was there from Nepal and she did us proud. She left lasting impression with the assembled South Asian community with her presentation and paintings on the theme of women and freedom.

Through her series of paintings including Samaya Chakra Raginiji has shown how her journey in “arts for life’s sake” continues merrily. Happily for all of us, she did not shy away from making her presence felt also in the street as we campaigned peacefully for Loktantra. In the current series of her paintings, she has now ably captured for us the soul and the might of the people’s power that is transforming Nepali politics and society for good. That she has decided to donate a substantial part of the sale proceeds to the families of the martyrs in Nepal’s democratic movement speaks volumes on how Raginiji thinks about her work and the lives of the Nepali people.

Devendra Raj Panday

Citizens’ Movement for Democracy and Peace

Click here to see the pictures of "People's Power 1990-2006"

The exhibition was very succesful and was opened by Dpty Prime Minister K.P. Oli, click here for the picture

NEW! Let Them Bark: A Portrait of the Artist Ragini (10 min)

2007-10-24T11:43:00.000+05:30

I am extremely honored that Emma Cott and Adrianne Koteen have produced a 10 minutes documentary about my work. It was done during the early winter of 2006 and is entitled "Let them bark".

It is quite good and you can click here to download it (22 MB) It is a Flash Video file (flv) so you need an adequate player. ( to get one you may visit http://applian.com/flvplayer/)

For those with patience or a good bandwidth, there is a mp4 version (42 Mb) at the following URL : http://www.adrive.com/public/22130262f942f3a4bb0a0e0f39e06f8d4cd9bfe01e0103442298433150a91165.html

You should also visit the presentation of the movie on Emma and Adrienne documentary page. You will find there a button to view the streamlined movie.

My fully structured web site is http://ragini-art.com and a lot of my works are displayed on http://picasaweb.google.com/ragini.grela

Politics of Wheel by Abhi Subedi

2007-10-24T10:46:00.001+05:30

Abhi Subedi has always written the most elaborate and profound review of my exhibitions. With "Politics of Wheel" he again succeed to express in words the message I try to elaborate in my images. The Time Series pictures are on :

http://picasaweb.google.com/ragini.grela/TimeSeries

His article was originally published in the Kathmandu Post (2005-05-18)

Politics of wheel

	By ABHI SUBEDI - The walls of Sangita Thapa's Siddhartha Art Gallery at Babarmahal Revisited have become vertical stage to me. Over the year I have watched the Nepali times, the somersaults of this nation's history staged on these non-descript walls. After the drama of Nepali violent history presented almost in a neo-realist style by Durga Baral last winter on these walls, a series of drawings, etching and mixed media works executed by artist Ragini Upadhyaya Grela titled "Time Wheel" representing political times are on display at the moment. Siddhartha gallery has become a next Gurukul where the drama of politics and the spectres created by Nepali power games are staged time and again. Incidentally, Ragini's exhibition was opened with the performance of a short silent play about time by the Gurukul artists. Saugat Malla's powerful body theatre presented the drama of time that surges ahead leaving those who can or can not grab it behind. An overtly political drama if it is hung on the walls of the gallery of art becomes a cliché, evoking banality and creating déjà vu effect. Conspicuous walls in the metropolitan areas become the stage especially when the times in the national history become turbulent. Demonstrators, political activists, rebels and propagandists use the walls to stage their different versions of drama in the forms of posters, wall scribbles, drawings and sometimes just colours. But the walls of a regular art gallery hang more structured images and icons of political history. Ragini's drawings and intaglio works have brought new power and new condition of watching the subtleties of Nepali politics on the wall-stage of Siddhartha gallery at the moment. At this exhibition of the works, great number of which are already sold out, the artist Ragini Upadhyaya Grela wearing long vertical tika of a serious yogin on her forehead escorts the visitors giving eloquent speech about the themes of her works. I try my best to avoid her interpretation and concentrate on her works because there is a great gap and a necessary one between her theorising which sounds sometimes banal, and her strong and charming works that hang on both the upper and lower floors of Siddhartha. Ragini theorises that time is evanescent; those people who were there in the past are no longer there today and we too will go away one day. These places will continue to exist and we will not be there. Time is mightier than all of us. That is her linear theory about time. An artist does not have to be a Bergeson, a Nietzsche, a Balakrishna Sama or a Michel Foucault to talk about the intricacies of the times. The artist has her/his way of looking into the philosophical questions. The most important trajectory that an artist follows to get into a philosophical world is created through mythology. But what an artist does through the medium of her works is beyond the capacity of many philosophers. Ragini combines politics, myth and love in each of her works. The images of Nepali politics from Damodar Pande to Sher Bahadur Deuba on the people's front and the Shah monarchs on the royal front become part of Ragini's historical philosophy as conjured through a system of mythology, and her works are strong and striking. The concept of wheel in this exhibition is remarkably original. The wheel of time or the politics of wheel is the main metaphor. Ragini's drawings and collage works create a circular concept of time. The clock-like circularity is created by the collage of Nepali power wielders' photographs--from the monarchs of the Shah dynasty to the prime ministers that ends with Deuba in the circle. Ragini's vision of the wheel is mytho-poetic. She finds the historical times as constructed history. Time without politics and persona is amorphous for her. But time measured with the people who have held power and created the Nepali times runs the risk of representing times that are not seen from the eyes of the common people. An artist's responsibility is to open the possibility of viewing the times from fresh perspectives. To see time from the positions and durations spanned by the rule of the powerful persons is to create a politics of wheel power. Many power players have created such images of history. Now we have a tendency to deconstruct the concept of controlled times. But the power of Ragini's works lies in the very quality of the works. She is the best intaglio artist in Nepal who creates very subtle effects in her works. The minute details are taken care of. She paints and touches the etchings with love, life and colour. The drawings, etching and mixed media works on display at Sidhartha precisely show that. These works lure the viewers into the world of history, politics and myth by using the metaphor "wheel of time" which is the charming recreation of the myth that combines dreams with the sense of finality. But the love of life and continuity becomes stronger in these works because of the artist's subtle treatment of subject through the use of lines, colours and figurality.

Wayne Amtzis poems

2007-10-24T10:08:00.002+05:30

Wayne is an old friend who has been inspired to write some poems based on my work (unfortunately for my ego he writes about other artists too.)

His web site is :

http://www.photo-poems.com/index.html

EMBODYING MYTH

A human mask: a peacock-tailed cow gazes at us

Shank-ed and torso-ed within, a peacock-effaced woman dances;

Bird of dreams hoisted on her shoulder and outreaching arm

A key around the cow's neck, a lotus for teats

and a hand, like those that smear the space behind her,

stamped on the cow's hind leg

Heavy, stable, secure

implacable presence, not a cow

or a lion, but cow

-mother, lion

-mother, that will not

abandon her progeny--though torn from her

they be scattered over the earth

Hands on her body and dwelling place,

signs of the forces she submits to, the violence willed against her

Peaceful, yet indomitable

There's no moving these mythic beings

from their rightful place at the center of creation

To become one with the cow mother,

the peacock dreamer, the woman dancing, the lotus nurturing,

take the key from the cow's neck,

and remove your handprints from her thigh

Soon…soon… For…

Familial and haunting, magnetic and morph-like,

this unaccountable creative force,

these emblems of forbearance, signs for what outlasts

and precedes us,

Ragini's menagerie,

so familiar and unfamiliar,

from another world, are revelatory glimpses of the world we inhabit

or (like Pig with topi and shoe)

explicit condemnation of those who can no longer

dissemble that world

RAGINI'S MENAGERIE

Flower bearing snake

and distant city; beneath your shadow,

a man and woman, a river flowing

Snake-tailed monkeys dance,

rubbing bodies, rubbing lips, the city in their hands

How is it these beasts, feigning innocence, defy gravity,

never falling from the world they trample?

Flame-footed, beak-footed, lotus-footed, stair-footed

female-faced lion, the sun balanced on your snout, your tail aflame,

your many lucky numbers secreted within

Legs shackled, turning inward and away,

your bird-beaked and winged-women, keys in hand,

gather force

--horse--

that will not be tamed

Big-bellied pig, your sock & shoe-fitted foot

strutting sure, how happily you balance and sniff that worm gnawed apple

So full of shit, flowers and weeds root on your back

Your topi seems out of place. So small a cap for one so large in girth

and single-minded in greed

More pictures in
http://picasaweb.google.com/ragini.grela

Ragini Upadhyaya-Grela comes out with an appeal for amity in her latest exhibition

2007-10-06T11:45:00.000+05:30

SPOTLIGHT, 23-8-2002

Peace Pursuit

Ragini Upadhyaya-Grela comes out with an appeal for amity in her latest exhibition

By NEERAJ POUDEL

Ragini's painting: Picture of peace The last one and a half years have been tumultuous, to say the least. Whether on the domestic or international front, events so tragic and so barbaric have happened in this period that many an artist has been passionately moved. Ragini Upadhyaya-Grela is one such painter who, after being disturbed by the events, chose to vent her pent-up feelings through the media she is best accustomed with. Ragini, a reputed artist known for her distinctive styles, highly symbolic and thematic presentations, displayed scores of paintings she had made after being overcome with emotions following the three major events of the last 15 months - the June 1, 2001 royal palace tragedy, the 9/11 attacks and the destruction of Bamiyan Buddhas. After organizing more than 30 solo and several group exhibitions including international ones, she came out this week with her latest works titled "The Sun Never Dies, Buddha's Light and Truth Shines". The exhibition, which opened at the Siddhartha Art Gallery on August 16, will continue until September 15. The title of the exhibition is enough to summarize her works. Mainly, they revolve around the three dreadful events of the last 15 months, which have left a deep imprint on the psychology of people all over the world. Among her 29 paintings, "Buddha on 1st June", "Eleventh September" and "Bamiyan Buddha 2001" respectively demonstrate an artist's perspectives on these events. Her other works also support the theme of the paintings and are replete with their own peculiarities. The artist presents the sun as a symbol of truth that never dies. Explaining her work titled "Eye of Truth", she said, "Truth is the sun which has so many eyes to see." She compares it with a human eye, and she has painted it in her canvas. Moreover, her concern for peace can be seen in each of her paintings. She says that the events are a blow to humanity and culture. "We have forgotten the path to truth, wisdom and peace", she said. She has made an appeal for peace through her exclusive and heart-rending art. Her paintings explore the trouble and agony of peace lovers around the world whenever mankind is faced with such violent events. Among her works, "Truth Never Dies", "Buddha, Truth and Sun", "Buddha's Feet", "Eye of Truth", "Eleventh September", and "Bamiyan Buddha 2001" drew the attention of most of the spectators. One viewer responded that the artist was quite successful in delivering the message of peace.

More about Ragini Odyssey 2001

2007-10-06T03:36:00.000+05:30

Womanhood unbound

Kathmandu, Sunday, February 18, 2001 Fagun 07 2057.

There are altogether 38 paintings and etchings on display at the Siddhartha Art Gallery in Baber Mahal. They are reflections on our society, women, love and the political scenario. The exhibition will run through March 10.

The most creative and well crafted painting is that of a horse, which is looking backwards as if looking back at our society. The horse is also a symbol of one of the swiftest animals something like our feelings. Its price stands at Rs 35,000.

Another eye catching painting, "Sungurko Mukhama Shyau" (pig with an apple in its mouth) is something that you just cannot ignore though it hangs in a corner of the room upstairs. An apple is a symbol of honesty. The pig with its almost swollen belly is trying to cover up its evil intentions and guile. This is of course a satire on politicians and corruption. But the pig has other interesting decorations suggesting that we respect them whether corrupt or not. Don’t miss the pig wearing only one shoe. It is modestly priced at Rs 1,50,000.

Another interesting piece is "Musical Chairs". It has Kathmandu in the middle surrounded by snakes connotating our earthly desires. The creation of this theme was borrowed from the concept of the game musical chairs which we have played in childhood and which is still played by children. And you can win the game if you are smart and cheat a little.

The etching showing Kathmandu in the centre and a group of sheep surrounding the city, illustrates our tendency to herd-like behaviour. Something like the Hritik Roshan incident. The rhinoceros suggests that we have become like its skin -- hard and unfeeling without any emotions.

"Kathmandu with monkeys" with a price tag of Rs 15,000 is also a highlight and is based on a well known Nepali maxim "Bandar ko hath ma nariwal" (coconuts in the hands of monkeys) implying that we mess up whatever we get.

The strong and stubborn creative energy of an experimenting woman artist is seen sprouting forth in many of these works, mainly through the use of animal symbols. And that woman artist is Ragini Upadhaya Grela who strongly feels about the marginalised situation of women in our society. And many of her paintings portraying women and goddesses show them under lock and key.

Ragini explains that "a woman has the power of the goddess Durga and she has the power to open the doors of freedom". Whenever you see paintings of animals with human faces and semi human bodies carved on the animals with lock and key, then you can make out that it is painted by none other than Ragini. But nevertheless she’s one of the top five women artists in Nepal and you can neither ignore her work nor her energy and her dominant voice. Sangeeta Thapa, the director of Siddhartha Art Gallery mentions that, "On the opening day, Rs 400000 of Ragini’s paintings were sold just within 2 hours setting a record for the gallery".

SUNDAY POST
The Weekly Magazine Of The Kathmandu Post
Kathmandu, Sunday, February 18, 2001 Fagun 07 2057.

I do art for life’s sake

2007-10-03T02:18:00.000+05:30

I do art for life’s sake :Ragini

By Shraddha Shrestha

KATHMANDU, Feb 20 - After two years of extensive work, Ragini Upadhyay Grela has come up with 38 paintings. Her exhibition "Ragini’s Odyssey 2001" is currently on display at the Siddhartha Art Gallery, Babar Mahal.

The paintings and sketches carry a certain vagueness at first glance, especially to those who do not have an eye for art. At closer inspection, however, feel what the paintings are trying to express.

But nothing can beat Ragini’s own explanations for the paintings she is exhibiting. They unravel and verify everything on the canvas.

Her paintings proclaim the strength of women over men. For her, man is the fire and woman, water.

"I do not do art just for art’s sake, art is life for me," says Ragini.

She has made her name in national and international circles with her paintings. Her first exhibition was held in 1979 at NAFA and she has exhibited her works in Germany, Japan, Sweden, Belgium, Finland, Pakistan, Taiwan and India.

Her paintings portray the current social and political status of the nation. Almost all of her paintings incorporate snakes and eyes. The snake, according to her, is the figure of desire for love, money, sex and power. And eyes are the symbol of sensitivity that prevails in every human being.

The reason for using snakes in her paintings, as she feels is that despite the garland of snake around the neck of Lord Shiva he himself is free from desire. Similarly, a snake exists within every human being, but one should possess the strength to keep this desire in check. If this desire takes over then all is not well.

In an interesting piece entitled "Musical Chair" snakes are used to illustrate the desire for the chair among politicians. Only a little bit of trickery is needed to win the chair and the game is all yours. It also symbolises the anarchy pervading the present political system.

Another painting shows the country being gnawed away at by mice with human faces. It traces the outgoing human nature and also reveals the current corruption that’s going on over our heads while we remain powerless to do anything about it.

The painting seems to symbolize the nature of a mouse present in the human being, eating away the country piece by piece.

A well-known Nepali maxim - "Bandar ko hat ma nariwal" (coconuts in the hands of monkey), is demonstrated in one of her paintings but eggs replace the coconuts. For her, eggs are the symbol of fertility and life, and need lots of care, warmth and affection to grow. In her opinion, it is the same with democracy. Proper care is needed to handle it or else major complications will ensue.

For her, goddesses Saraswati, Durga and Laxmi are the three most powerful goddesses. This portrayal is shown clearly in her art.

Women have the power and will to prove themselves but all their feelings are locked within - due to social restrictions.

"All women possess the key to open the lock of their feelings and desires. I urge women to open the lock to our divinely-gifted self. Once we do so we will come to terms with our potential," says Ragini.

Women’s repression which is locked within them is clearly portrayed by taking the beam of animals and goddesses.

She pours out her frustrations and fascinations with womanhood in her paintings.

According to her, women intermix in each and every step of happiness and sorrow of life, giving love and affection to all. This is why she ressembles water and the flow of water. As women resemble water, men resemble fire - she believes that water is more powerful than fire.

"I have tried to express social truths in my art. The exhibition illustrates the social and political situation in Nepal from an artistic point of view," says Ragini. "Women must realise that they hold the key to their own creativity and power."

-------------------

Click here for the photos of the inauguration

More about Ragini on : www.ragini-art.com

An attempt to expand the ragini-art.com

2007-10-02T08:45:00.000+05:30

Albert (my husband) has worked hard and for a long time on the fully structured web site http://ragini-art.com which every body should visit. But the host of the site does not allow an increment of the space available, too bad for Albert efforts to provide a well woven and fully integrated vision of my artistic work and the press, and the audience comments and sale results.... So, we will try the blog to keep things easy and up to date with links and pics and whatever the Internet can provide.

In short, the people interested by my work should look at

http://ragini-art.com

and

the very rich gallery http://picasaweb.google.com/ragini.grela

Ragini art & life

Art Attack by Abhi Subedi

Love Bells a remake

Buddha series a new video

Dusting off an old article - Ragini's political stand 1995

Gai Jatra on canvases

Opening of Double Vision in Gallery Epreuve d’Artiste – Nepalese artists in Antwerpen - Belgium

Love in the Air - Karachi

Love in the Air travels to Karachi

Ragini at Riddaren Gallery - Stockholm

Exhibition in Stockholm, August 2009

Price updates

Ragini's World by media for freedom

Love in the Air opens at Siddartha Gallery on Sunday 8th February 2009 at 5:30 pm

Even cowgirls get the blues - by BHUSHITA VASISTHA in myrepublica.com

How to reach Ragini Art Village

Ragini CV July 2008

Ragini – oil painter and print maker

Education

Professional appointment

Solo exhibitions

Group exhibitions

International exhibitions

Prizes and awards

Present in official collections

Present in private collections

Contact

Ragini Upadhyay - Grela

Balkot – 1/110, BhaktapurNepal

ragini@mos.com.np

tel : +977 1 6630335

Mobile : +977 98510 52244

VISIT MY WEB SITE : http:\\ragini-art.com

Love in the air 2008

Time Series slideshow

People Power 2006 a new slideshow

New dowload for "Let them bark" documentary

Art for Martyrs' Sake

People Power in Schorndorf - Germany

Schorndorf exhibition is open

My exhibition in Edinburgh has closed

Exhibition in Europe November & December 2007

People's Power 1990-2006

NEW! Let Them Bark: A Portrait of the Artist Ragini (10 min)

Politics of Wheel by Abhi Subedi

Wayne Amtzis poems

Ragini Upadhyaya-Grela comes out with an appeal for amity in her latest exhibition

More about Ragini Odyssey 2001

I do art for life’s sake

An attempt to expand the ragini-art.com

Balkot – 1/110, Bhaktapur
Nepal