Atelier II
From the Studios of
Uma Shankar Shah & Seema Sharma Shah
Atelier II, founded by two of South Asia's pioneering artists: Dr. Seema Sharma Shah and her husband Prof. Uma Shankar Shah, is a studio and gallery based in Kathmandu, Nepal. The artist duo have been creating artworks through employment of experimental techniques in Zinc Etching Print making, color viscosity, collage and oil painting. Their art has been applauded all over the world, and the duo won the award for 'Best Print Making' twice in in a row at the annual Miami Art Festival in Doral. Prof. Uma Shankar also received the first prize at the Xichuan Print Beinnale in China. The duo are also lecturers at the Central Department of Fine Arts at Tribhuwan University, Nepal.
Buddha Series
by Dr. Seema Sharma Shah
The Buddha Series is a collection of experimental artworks that utilize the colour viscosity printmaking technique. The series highlights iconic Buddha statues and architectural sites from different regions of South Asia. The artworks are created using an unconventional method that combines printmaking with a unique approach to colour application. The works aim to showcase the beauty and intricate details of Buddhist iconography and architecture, while also exploring the potential of printmaking as a medium. The series provides a fresh perspective on the traditional representation of Buddha and his teachings while highlighting the cultural richness and diversity of South Asia.
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Ramayan Series
by Prof. Uma Shankar Shah
The series documents the story of the artist’s hometown’s beloved princess, daughter of King Janak, Sita. In his prints, he chronicles her birth, her engagement with Lord Ram and the mighty bow, her marriage and her journey to Ayodhya, her subsequent exile into the forest with Lord Ram, her abduction, the search launched for her and the ensuing battle in which the demon Ravan is defeated. As the artist hails from Janakpur, his narrative and imagery are deeply rooted in Mithila tradition and folklore. The doe like eyes he uses to depict his characters are characteristic of Mithila art.
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Mythology Series
by Dr. Seema Sharma Shah
Seema's series on avataras, gods and goddesses, encompasses deities from the Hindu and Buddhist pantheon. Her prints give us a view of the imaginary sanctum sanctoria of the Gods. The reoccurring symbol of an open doorway allows you to enter and depart from these surreal dreamscapes. Time stands still here – as no human dwells in these haloed portals. Seema is adept at creating a landscape in which, a pantheon of heavenly beings, are surreptiously caught in a mysterious twilight zone. The serene image of Lord Srinathji , regarded by the Rajasthanis as the God of Wealth, floats on a water body. Seema is adept at imagining a surreal garden, where Lord Ganesha is seated on a lotus or on his vahan. In yet another work, we catch a glimpse of the same deity in his eight headed avatar. In this series, Seema takes heed of the fact that Nepal has been regarded as a great tantric shakti staal or power centre, where the cult of the Goddess has lead to the worship of her many manifestations – from Virgin Goddess, to the wrathful Kali. Hence the portrayal of the Kumari, and the Nava Durgas (nine manifestations of the self same Goddess). The ten avatars of Vishnu- Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parshuram, Rama, Buddha, Krishna and Kalki) are also depicted in Expressions of Devotion which is in in keeping with the belief that Vishnu incarnates on Earth periodically to eradicate evil, to restore the Dharma and to liberate the worthy ones from cycle of birth and death.
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ROTI-BETI Series
by Prof. Uma Shankar Shah
In his painting, the artist shows how Indian women got naturalized in Nepal after marrying a Nepali citizen, which is resonant of the artist’s own life as his wife came from India and later naturalized in Nepal after her marriage with him. The railway in the background was installed by the British government during the colonial times, ushering in an era of industrialization fueled by the exchange of goods and people that happened between Nepal and India through the train. The billboards show movies that were great hits when the artist visited India and the train stations were full of them.
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Namami Gange
by Dr Seema Sharma Shah
Seema’s Namami Gange series create a unique interaction between memory and the method, using the technique of color viscosity printmaking, the works are able to play with ideas of vagueness, permanence, artificiality and transitivity of the human mind and memory. The imaginary shadows of the monuments in the skies, the many editions and imagined renditions created of the ghats, all present a distinct interaction of printmaking with the city of ghats which in itself is an ode to thousands of years of mythological, social and political memory.
First displayed in 2022 at Jehangir Art Gallery, India.
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