Welcome back to part two of our very special series on the Nepal Street Art Project, a collaborative endeavor between Nepali artists and Crewest Studio co-founder Man One. If you missed part one, head to last week’s episode to catch up on the project’s impact on historic Nepali cities Janakpur and Kathmandu.
In today’s episode, NOT REAL ART founder and host Scott “Sourdough” Power sits down with three key players of the Nepal Street Art Project to discuss how government exchange programs can benefit the arts. He’s joined by Project Curator Kailash K. Shrestha of Nepali art collective Artudio, Project Coordinator Sarah Knight of the US Embassy in Nepal, and street artist extraordinaire Man One, who was invited by the US Embassy to serve as an ambassador of American contemporary art.
Organized by Kathmandu-based art collective Artudio in collaboration with the US Embassy in Nepal, the Nepal Street Art Project showcases and celebrates socially excluded communities in the region with curatorial projects in Janakpur and Kathmandu. Combining research, cross-cultural exchange, and public workshops, the project’s main objective is to establish critical public discourse on key issues surrounding equity and diversity.
“It’s about inclusion,” says Project Curator Kailash K. Shrestha. “Sharing ideas, being on one platform, and talking about it, having [deeper conversations] about our art practices; that’s the pure form of inclusion and equity.” The three stakeholders chat with Scott about the impact of government-funded exchange programs like the Nepal Street Art Project, highlighting the benefits to artists, organizations, and taxpayers. “What’s the value [of art and cultural exchange programs] to an American taxpayer?” asks Project Coordinator Sarah Knight. “World peace. But really, the exchange between people and communicating different policy areas in a way that reaches more people than some of our traditional programs would.”
Tune in to part two of our Nepal series to learn more about the cultural significance of graffiti and the unifying power of public art, then scroll through for a selection of photos from the Nepal Street Art Project.
