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Alyen Foning
Alyen Foning is a textile artist based in Kalimpong, nestled in the Lepcha community at the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas. Inspired by her Lepcha heritage and personal journey, she employs art and storytelling to help people reconnect with their ecological roots. Alyen's work serves as a bridge between art, research, and ancestral wisdom, fostering a deeper understanding of our interconnectedness with nature. With a background in Textile and Apparel design from NID, Ahmedabad, Alyen draws inspiration from nature and indigenous cultures. Her notable creation, 'The Story of Munn,' was showcased at the 'So Many Feminisms!' conclave by Godrej India Culture Lab in collaboration with Zubaan Books in 2019. Beyond her artistic pursuits, Alyen shares her expertise as a visiting faculty member at various design colleges in India. She has a deep passion for fabrics, colors, collaboration, and music. Currently, she is engaged in exploring her ancestral roots and shamanism through research projects and grants and is preparing for training under a Lepcha tribal shaman.
Deachen Angmo
Deachen Angmo is a highly skilled conservator hailing from Ladakh, India, known for her exceptional expertise in the field of art conservation. Over the course of her impressive 10-year career, she has specialized in the conservation and restoration of Thangka paintings, demonstrating her deep understanding and skill in preserving these intricate artworks. In addition to Thangka paintings, Deachen has also showcased her talent in conserving clay statues and textiles, broadening her repertoire as a versatile conservator. With her extensive experience and unwavering passion for art conservation, Deachen Angmo remains committed to her craft, employing her expertise to protect and restore precious artworks for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.
Jigmet Angmo
Born and raised (mostly) in the cold Himalayan desert region of Ladakh, the rugged landscape with its barren mountains, deep valleys, and high plains, developed a strong sense of wonder and imagination in Jigmet Angmo, which she explores within these very surreal settings. Vernacular architecture has been a central theme in her work, mostly using watercolours and acrylic. She believes them to be a living, breathing shelter that watches, nourishes, and endures the people who have come and gone through time.
Kunzes Dolma
Kunzes Dolma, a skilled conservator hailing from Ladakh, is a young professional who faced educational obstacles due to familial constraints. However, in 2013, she had the fortunate opportunity to learn about art conservation from a French conservator named Ms. Nelly Raeuf, who initiated the Matho Museum Project. Ever since then, Kunzes has been actively engaged in conserving various artifacts, with a particular emphasis on thangka paintings. When the museum project concluded and Ms. Nelly had to relocate from Ladakh, Kunzes and her peers took the initiative to establish an organization called Himalayan Art Preservers. Collaboratively, they undertook the task of conserving thangkas from Thiksey Monastery. Since 2021, Kunzes has been working as a freelancer with Shesrig Ladakh and other esteemed organizations dedicated to heritage conservation in Ladakh. She actively participates in diverse projects related to the preservation of cultural heritage.
Noor Jahan
Noor Jahan, who has been employed as an Art Conservator since 2013, is one of the co-founders of SHESRIG LADAKH, an art conservation practice situated in Leh town. This establishment is committed to preserving the tangible cultural heritage of Ladakh. Noor has contributed her expertise as an art conservator to esteemed organizations including the ACHI association, Himalayan Cultural Heritage Foundation, Art Conservation Solutions, LAMO Trust, and Heritage Preservation Atelier. Her main focus lies in the conservation of wall paintings and thangka paintings, as well as conducting technical studies on artworks to enhance her understanding of materials and techniques.
Priyanka Singh Maharjan
Priyanka Singh Maharjan is a Kathmandu-based Visual Artist and an Art Facilitator. She completed her Bachelor's in Fine Arts degree from Kathmandu University, Centre for Art and Design in 2018. Her art practices are mostly focused on her past and the re-interpretation of memories through diverse mediums. She is currently exploring giving visual structures to intangible but real elements of her past/memories through photographs, embroidery, and pen works.
Memories are strange. They bring warmth and loneliness together. The warmth comes from what remains, and loneliness from a distance that time creates.
Memories do not always come in waves; they might as well be a faint ripple on the surface. There may be times you feel a little itch, and times you do not even notice it. You may choose to scratch it for relief, or scratch until it opens up the void you can never fill. Photographs are the most vivid stains. It swiftly transports us to the events in the past at one glance. I hand-embroider images transferred from the old photographs. Embroidering feels close to home... These reproduced visuals have been a medium to communicate experiences and re-interpret past occurrences.
Shreeti Prajapati
Shreeti Prajapati is a visual artist based in Kathmandu. Her artistic journey began with pen and ink drawings, capturing everyday objects and encountering spaces in her journal. As her passion grew, she discovered the interconnectedness of space and people, inspiring her to create art and visual narratives that transcend boundaries. Shreeti works across various mediums, allowing her to create art wherever she goes, whether it's at a table, on a mat, or carried in her bag. Her art aims to tell stories from diverse landscapes of identity and existence, evoking personal connections and emotions in the viewers. She explores the intricate relationship between space, people, and the narratives that bind them together.
Sunita Maharjan
Sunita Maharjan is a visual artist and art educator from Kirtipur, Kathmandu. She is fascinated by how humans reconcile a need for open empty spaces close to nature with building boundaries to designate personal space. She moves fluidly among different mediums - painting, installation art, printmaking, weaving, and sewing. Maharjan completed her BFA in Painting from Kathmandu University Centre for Art and Design in 2009 and is pursuing her MFA at the Beaconhouse National University in Lahore, Pakistan. She is a founding member of the nonprofit Srijanalaya, which is dedicated to bringing the arts to education in Nepal, and is a co-founder of Drawing Room KTM, an artist-run studio and learning space.
“The questions I wanted to explore are – How do people create their spaces according to their environment and needs? How do their everyday lives and activities make each place distinct from another? All kinds of phenomena carry on continuously in these spaces. Yet each moment is unique and every phenomenon is different. I feel that nature, life, and art too are characterized by such uniqueness and continuity.”
Tsering Youdol
Tsering Youdol is an emerging artist based in Leh, Ladakh. She holds an M.A. in Painting from HPU Shimla and a B.A. from Punjab University. Youdol has showcased her artwork in prestigious group shows including AIFACS Delhi, Gallery Jib Tokyo Japan, Gaiety Theatre Shimla, Roerich Art Gallery in Manali, and at various shows in Khajuraho, Jaipur, and Jammu. In 2019 she had her solo exhibition of watercolor portraits at Spindle Art Studio in Leh. Youdol has actively participated in national and state-level camps and workshops organized by Lalit Kala Academy Delhi, Art and Culture Academy Jammu, and the Art and Culture Department of Himachal Pradesh.