Draft:Sabita Dangol

Sabita Dangol (born 1984) is a visual artist based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Her artworks represent painting, installation art, and performance art. She is the associated artist at the Taragoan Museum and the recipient of the prestigious Araniko Youth Award from National Fund for Youth Service in 2019 and Special Prize from Nepal Academy of Fine Arts in 2017. She is the recipient of 'Best Nature Artist' from WWF, RFWV (Relief fund for wildlife victim) & Art Club in 2019 and awarded from Camlin Ltd in Eastern Region Art Exhibition in 2010. She has been continuously working and been participating in the art events nationally and internationally since 2007. She has been taking part in many art events and her important participation including are National exhibition of Fine Arts from 2011 to 2020, 'India Art Fair New Delhi, India in 2018', '18th Asian Art Biennale ' from Shilpakala Academy in 2018, Art Meets Conservation an art workshop organized from The USAID-funded Hariyo Ban Program in coordination with National Trust for Nature Conservation and Nepal Academy of Fine Arts in 2018, a space for freedom and equality from American Center Kathmandu, American Embassy, Contemporary Art Exhibition at Art Warehouse, Himalayan Art Festival by E Arts Nepal, 8th,9th & 10th edition of 'Park Art fair' from Park Art Gallery, Crack International Art Camp 6th edition in 2012.

Biography
In a Newar family and surrounded by diverse cultures, Dangol grew up surrounded by religious and cultural influences. Throughout her work, she reflects the Mithila and Paubha cultures of the Himalayan regions. In 2011, she completed her BFA at Lalitkala Campus. During her studies, she realized she could become an artist when she participated in an art competition organized by the Fine Art College student association and won 2nd place. After this success, she developed a growing passion for art and began dreaming about becoming an accomplished artist one day.

She exhibited her first solo exhibit 'Insight of Foliate' at Nepal Art Council. It was a successful part of her art startup, and she continued to work on it. In 2013, she earned her MFA from Tribhuvan University's Central Department of Fine Arts. Her next solo show '...of life that doesn't freeze' took place in 2012 at the Patan Museum & Solemn Odyssey in 2016 at Taragoan Museum. In 2018, she presented 'Interconnected Affection' at GG Machhan. In 2018, she had a chance to exhibit in the India Art Fair in New Delhi representing artists from Nepal, the Nepal Art Council was been representing & showing work by Nepali Contemporary artists since a few years ago. During the same year, her artwork was also selected for the '18th Asian Art Biennale' at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

Decorative Patterns
In her artworks, Sabita Dangol portrays the comb as an important metaphor since 2014. As a meaningful tool to untangle tangled hair, she introduces a comb that reflects powerful symbols. In her art, it's portrayed as a positive and resolving tool to deal with daily life issues. In her paintings the comb represents the solutions. Her artworks represent the different symbolisms. Sabita makes use of decorative patterns that look like Mithila patterns and Nepali Paubha and is more influenced by Zentangle art. It is infused with objects such as combs, an old fashioned looking glass, human, bird, fish, and tree life. In addition to this, her recurring theme is love between couple of men and woman. .

These figures inhabit the focal portion of her canvas. Because of her tenderly dreamy subject matter, her works might remind the onlookers of some of the paintings by icons such as Marc Chagall and Gustav Klimt who have depicted couples as the central figures. As for the artworks of the artist of this show who belongs to a Newar community, the process through which they are being made, the area from where she draws inspiration, and the personality of the artist herself; all come from different origins. And yet they blend perfectly in the singular sight of the viewers (while looking at the canvas) making the entire experience the conjunctions of various components that create a life form.

Comb
She has been incorporating comb into her artworks since 2014. Her first comb was featured in a series of artworks exhibited at The Taragoan Museum in 2016. The symbol of the comb retells the latent meaning in a way that is not as a representing object, but rather as a symbolic representation. According to her, it represents the power to untangle life's mess, which is interconnected with the soul. Sabita paints the comb as a metaphor in each of her paintings to remind us to be mindful of the negative energies that permeate our everyday lives. To obtain enlightenment or bliss, it is necessary and possible to shift through such energies.

Couple
Married to the artist Ishan Pariyar for just over 6 years. , Sabita's paintings are a celebration of their conjugal bliss and a personal meditative reflection on life itself. As in the past, Dangol situates her couple in an idyllic Gardenscapes or nature scape that is replete with water bodies, flora and fauna, aquatic, mammalian, avian and insect life. The beautiful white calla lily is seen blooming in her works, these flowers express the idea of life and fertility. This quest for ecological harmony and the balance of nature is central to the artist's work. Even the trunks and branches of the tree of life team with living creatures, symbolizing that all of life and mankind is nourished by nature. The artist also situates the couple in an idyllic cultural vista of Newa architecture and draws from indigenous motifs from the hills and plains of Nepal. Even in these works, we see that culture and nature can co-exist in harmony if planned with thought. In the midst of these arresting myriad details and her amazing technicolored palette, Sabita paints the eternal couple rapturously gazing at each other - their love permeates through the busy detailed eternal garden of dreams and cityscape that the artist has painstakingly created. This story of love or enrapturement transcends the past, present and future and is a timeless one

Asta Mangala & Shree Yantra
The central motif of the painting Symbiotic Life has been taken from the eight auspicious symbol of Buddhist ideology. Especially in the Newari culture in Kathmandu valley, generally known as Asta Mangala as a symbol of the auspicious and prosperity, this symbol is more valuable, been pasted on both side of the main door of the groom's house. It is in general belief that this symbol is very good luck for the newly married couple and for their prosperous life ahead. Whenever the eight auspicious signs exist, there will be the dependent arising of increasing the virtue of auspiciousness. The central figure of the couple is a complimentary symbol of male and female, where the motif of Shree Yantra has been used to signify the value of the unification and conjugal life. More on in this artwork the background has been painted using the pattern of Banyan & Pipal leaf, are sacred tree has related with the Hindu mythology of the god Bishnu and Laxmi, a couple god to be worshipped together. The flower Calla lily has been used to signify the beauty of couple and the decorative bird is the metaphorical representation of freedom and free will in her painting.

Exhibitions
Sabita has been associated artist actively engaged in art activities in Nepal and abroad. She has recently exhibited her 6th solo show 'Inclination of Souls' at Siddhartha Art Gallery, Baber Mahal Revisited and has received good reviews. Her important selection on exhibition and exhibits are following: India Art Fair at New Delhi in 2018, '18th Asian Art Biennale' at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Contemporary Art Exhibition I & II edition, series of Himalayan Art Festival in the year 2019, 2021 & 2022, China - Asia Art exchange exhibition, National Exhibition of Fine Arts 2011-2020, Park Art Fair 8th & 9th edition, Art for Nature' Relief fund for wildlife victims WWF in 2016 & 2019, Nepali Magic, featuring art and impressions from Kathmandu and Himalayas in USA, Imago Mundi Nepal Collection  , 'Deities of Nepal' 1st & 2nd edition at Nepal Art Council. Her another important participation includes 'A Tapestry of Voices' was organized by Himalayan Art Initiative and World Bank Nepal on the theme of gender based violence. The show highlights issues around gender to reflect on ideas of gender identity, gender based violence and discrimination within Nepali society. Her recent participation Nepal : Contemporary Painting and Early Photographs in the Nalin's Collection was held at The Leonard Pearlstein Gallery of Drexel University, Philadelphia. The exhibition included forty one painting by 13 contemporary Nepali artist was on display alongside 42 early photographs from late 19th and early 20th century Nepal was hosted by Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design.