Sabita Dangol

Sabita Dangol (born 1984) is a prominent Visual arts based on Kathmandu Nepal. Her artworks represent painting, installation art, and performance art. She is one of the Women artists from Nepal who has been actively pursuing her career on this field since more than a decade. She is the associated artist at Taragoan Museum. She is 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 Kokuyo 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 Gallery, CRACK International Art Camp 6th edition in 2012.
== Biography ==
Born into a family of Newar people and local merchant, Sabita grew up with the religious and wide cultural surroundings. Her work reflects the culture of the Mithila (region) and Paubha of Himalaya region. Her childhood was full of memories & experience of cultural significances and its impressions. Her interest on art started since her childhood doing with art and craft items including making of greeting cards, glass painting, designing and decorating house with floral Craft and artworks. She did her BFA in 2011 from Lalitkala Campus. During her studies she realized herself as she can be a complete artist when she was taking part in a competition which was organized by Fine Art College student association and begged 2nd position on it. This success marked an important turning point on her life that fueled her art passion and she started to dream as accomplished artist someday. 
She has done her first solo show 'Insight of Foliate' in 2011 at Nepal Art Council. Which was a successful part of her art startup and she started to work continually. She pursued her MFA in 2011 and passed out in 2013 with master's degree of Fine Arts from Central Department of Fine Arts, Tribhuvan University. She did her next solo show '...of life that doesn't freeze' in 2012 at Patan Museum & Solemn Odyssey in 2016 at Taragoan Museum simultaneously she started her career in fine arts and started to teach her ideas in local institutions as part time art instructor. She did her next show 'Interconnected Affection' in 2018 at GG Machhan. Followed by her show she had a chance to feature in India Art Fair at New Delhi in 2018 representing artist from Nepal, Nepal Art Council has been representing & showing Nepali Contemporary artist work since some years. Her artwork was also selected on '18th Asian Art Biennale' at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on the same year.
== Motifs & Symbolism ==
Inclination of Souls explores the importance of affection in life and explains its values in a compelling way. The painting represents the mandala and the symbolic representation of Nepali style designs and patterns. The center of the circular composition is occupied by a couple figure connected comb, peacock, heart and Asta Mangala kalash.
=== Decorative Patterns ===
Dangol has been depicting the comb as an important metaphor in her artworks since 2014, She interduces comb which reflects the powerful symbols which she defines as a meaningful tool to untangle the tangled hair. Same as it's a relevant term in her art to depict it as a positivity and solving tool to everyday life problems. In her paintings the comb represents the solutions. Her artworks represent the different Symbolism (arts). Sabita makes use of Decorative arts patterns like Mithila (region) patterns that has their roots leading to the southern side of Nepal. She infuses it with daily utility objects such as combs, looking glass, and life forms such as humans, birds, fishes, trees, etc. addition to this; her recurring theme is love between a male and a female. 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 people, 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 ===
Since 2014 she has been introducing comb in her artworks. Her first comb including series of artworks were exhibited in 2016 at The Taragoan Museum. She uses it as metaphorically and the symbol of comb retells the latent meaning in a way represents not as a representing object but more meaningfully, she has interpreted it as a power untangling of life's mess, which is connecting through soul. In each of the paintings Sabita paints the comb as a metaphor to remind us that we need to be mindful of the negative energies that permeate through the hurly burly of our lives. And that it is important and possible to sift out such energies to attain a state of personal bliss or Enlightenment (spiritual).
=== 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 Naturescaping that is replete with water bodies, Organism, Aquatic plant|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 Newar language architecture and draws from Indigenous peoples|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 symbols|eight auspicious symbol of Buddhism|Buddhist ideology. Especially in the Newari culture in Kathmandu valley, generally known as Ashtamangala 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 tree|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.
== Important Exhibitions ==
Sabita has been 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|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' at Nepal Art Council.
Category:1984 births
Category:People from Kathmandu
Category:Visual arts