Cultural Exchange

Nepali artisans and Bangladeshi artists come together to exchange their traditional techniques of making pottery.

By A CORRESPONDENT

The Dhaka American Center arranged a 10-day artistic exchange program involving Bangladeshi metal casting artists and Newari artists from Kathmandu to help improve the skills of Bangladeshi artisans.

Artists from Bangladesh and Newari artists from Kathmandu came together to share each other’s techniques of making the traditional potteries. Both the Newari and Bangladeshi artists use a variation of the same "lost wax method" of making brass and bronze statues.

Over the last ten days the Bangladeshi artisans have worked with Nepali artisans to enhance their skills and also shared their knowledge of casting metal statues using the ancient lost wax method used in Bangladesh . The artisans expressed that the exchange program would benefit both group of artists.

“The techniques of making brass and bronze techniques are similar in many aspects,” said Rajan Shakya, leader of the Nepali team. “From the exchange program we can learn a few techniques that are different.”

“We have found that Nepali artisans spend a lot of time for finishing up the statues, but we had never thought of that,” said Sukanta Banik, the leader of the Bangaladeshi team. “We can learn these techniques from the workshop.”

Nepalese artisans spend a lot of time carving minute details on the statues after it has been molded.

The workshop was organized through US Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation and is aimed at preserving the traditional technique that is in danger of being lost.

The workshop was hosted by Indigo Art Gallery .

According to a statement from the American Library in Kathmandu , although, it is economically viable for the Newari artists to continue with their age-old craft so far, it is not so for the Bangladeshi artisans.

The metal statues cast in Nepal are used in various temples and homes for worship. It still has a market. But, says Banik, the statues are just for aesthetic and decorational purposes in Bangladesh .

Mainly, the statues of gods and goddesses of Hindus and Buddhists are made both in Bangladesh and Nepal .

The statement states, “The American people are committed to understanding and preserving the heritage of other nations.”

“The Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation helps countries around the globe preserve historic sites and manuscripts, museum collections, and traditional forms of music, dance, and language. The U.S. Embassy in Nepal has awarded two such grants: for Hanuman Dhoka's Kal Bhairav and Kageshowar temples in cooperation with Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust.”

The techniques of casting of metal statues are at least 2,000 years old and the fear that it will be phased out by the modern technology is growing among preservationists.

Bangladesh and Nepal share many commonalities in terms of art and culture. The tradition of metal casting in Bangladesh was famous during the Paula dynasty from eighth to eleventh century. In Nepal , the carving and sculpture is still very popular among the Newar community.