three pieces for patan - kathmandu

three pieces for patan - kathmandu - 2014

'Three pieces for Patan'

an installation by the Dutch artist Bart Drost in the back garden of the Patan Museum. April 26^th till April 30^th 2014.

The day Bart Drost had googled for pictures of Patan Durban Square he thought: 'When I go there I probably never want to go back home anymore'. The place was a divine beauty and the atmosphere felt like a known past. Feeling homesick to a place he had never been before!

Bart applied at Kathmandu Contemporary Arts Centre and became residence artist at their garden studio. Arrived in Patan, he immediately realized that the enormous difference between the life in Nepal and his life at home however would force him to go back to his own house in his own hometown.

The artwork has 4 parts: 'My house, my temple', 'What if God is one of us', 'Colors between heaven and earth', 'Passing time'

My house, my temple

The main piece in the installation is a bamboo construction. It resembles a replica of Barts house in Nijmegen, reduced with scale 75%. You only see the lines. On the sides of the roof are red curtains as most temples in Patan have. You can hear the sound of some temple bells. So in a way, the artist has build his home for a few days in Patan. On one hand there is the desire to have his home here in Patan, on the other to go home again.
Bamboo construction, hight 8 mtrs.

Red curtain with golden line, 90 mtrs.

Temple bells, 16

Placed in the back garden of the Patan Museum under supervision from Mr. Pursottam Shreshtra.

What if God was one of us?

For the second piece Bart uses an existing platform in the garden, a kind of stage. He painted the floor with light blue figurines (could it be small wavies?). On the platform there was a low table, where on Bart laid some concrete sculptures, little kids heads. Except one that's carved in stone. A reflection about handcraft in relation to the possibilities of new multiply techniques? The head of the little kid comes from Barts hometown; it is a precious remnant of his youth. Bart made the concrete ones here, the stone one is made by a stone carver in Patan

44 childheads: 43 concrete, 1 stone carved by Arnico Stone Carving Patan, on a wooden table that belongs to the Patan Museum

Painted floor, water solutable paint, lightblue.

Colors between heaven and earth

Against the invisible walls of the bamboo building five Thanka's hang, 'because one needs pictures on the wall'. They show the three primary colors and black and white. Ingredients to make 'all colors you want'; the roots of diversity. The Thanka's are made by a Thanka School in Patan.

5 Thanka's, painted by Lama's Thanka Centre & Training School Patan in colors red, yellow, blue and in black and white.

Hanged in the entre part of 'My house, My temple'

Passing time

In the Garden Studio - Barts working place for the last five weeks - he almost every day made small drawings on Nepali paper. Small wavies in pencil. Concentrated like a monk, sitting in front of the window and looking outside to the wild garden. It took two, three hours each day again. There was no obvious reason for this activity, the only thought was I have to do this''. It gave room for new reflections and ideas. The installation Th'ree pieces for Patan would not have gotten its present form without taking the time to make these small drawings.

In the meanwhile he made fifty pencil drawings and hang them in ordinary Nepalese frames around in his studio. He completed this by itself created installation with a brass replica of the kids head, casted by an artist from Patan.

49 pencil drawings on Nepali paper, framed in simple traditional Nepali frames

1 inkpencil drawing, under glass plate on wooden hocker from the studio

1 childface, casted in brasse by Ethnic Fineart Patan, on pedestal of bricks

Bart Drost is very thankful to all those very nice people who where so helpfull to him. Without their help he never could realize this project. Thanks to you all!

For more information klick here

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