Muna Bhadel

Muna Bhadel completed her Masters of Fine Arts from the Central Department of Fine Art at Tribhuvan University. She received a place on the KCAC’s (Kathmandu Contemporary Arts Centre) Residency Program in 2016 and has participated in numerous group art exhibitions, workshops, and residency programmes in Nepal and abroad. Besides her painting, she is also a performance artist and has taught art in various institutions. She received the ‘Sita Shree Pant Smriti award’ in 2016. She gives insight on parts of life that are less frequently shown in conventional visual arts, such as old age and death.

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Artist statement on Rekha

Rekha Devi Yadav’s lifestyle is in a rural environment, living a simple and satisfying life; she has no intention of becoming famous by doing great work, so as a result there are many locals who support and respect her. She is also a confident, courageous, impartial, fearless, self-respecting, self-empowered, patient social worker and a capable leader of the village. I have created art using photographs of her to show the personality of her personal and social life. On the photographs I have used symbolic drawings by scratching and writing words she made when interviewing her.

Rekha Devi Yadav: A journey to reflect on, 2021
Mixed media photo collage with pen, paint, scratches, and text
Size variable
Images used by artist courtesy of Sanjeev Maharjan, Uma Bista and Pranav Narayan Manandhar
Text Translation Nasala Chitrakar

[ Hover over the images in the gallery below for description text ]

“Rekha Didi is careful, she is intelligent. In the village, everyone in the society respects her. Everyone looks up to Rekha Didi, everyone says she is a very supportive woman. She protects the village, she protects the Tol (community).”
– Chinta Devi Paswan (Neighbour)

“My husband works. I respect him as well. Till now, the two of us haven’t fought. He doesn’t do anything untowards to me, he doesn’t beat me, he hasn’t until now, we live well together.”

“I do not have greed for anything.”

“As long as I live, I will continue, I will help a lot as long as I can breathe. What is there to help I am ready to help them.”

“The men haven’t given us women any identity of our own. If there is money, it’s theirs. The guardians of the house are the men. Regardless of how the womenfolk gather fodder for the goats, cows, buffaloes or clean them, it is the men who receive the money from the cattle.
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No matter how far ahead women move, we are seen as inferior. The men do this to us.
The perspective of the men do us ill. They think if you are the daughter, you have to take care of the home; if you are the daughter-in-law, you have to take care of the home.
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I fell down when I covered my face with the ghughat (veil)
Make work the rule, not the ghughat.
We have to end the practice of ghughat.
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Whether it is a training or a seminar, the women’s association comes forward. The women work well with schools, in NGOs. We work in every sector. If there is violence against women, we file complaints against it. Courage has become strong in the women.
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I stay ready to help in whatever way I can. I am not afraid. I haven’t done anything wrong. I don’t allow any wrongdoings, nor do I do them myself.”

“I work in service of others. I am working as a female volunteer. I took trainings. I go there, not for the money. But to learn something. I do this so the villagers can learn something. So the village learns and does things, that’s why I go!”

‘’Go for it, I can be a leader in my own village now!’’

Artist statement on Gauri

Gauri Bista is a widow, her struggles after her husband’s death are truly heart breaking. But even in such a situation, she did not weaken her self-confidence, so she has been able to build her positive identity in society. After her husband passed away, her hair was traditionally cut off against her will in an unconscious state, and her personal struggle began here. After talking to her, I became very emotional. I have captured Gauri Bista’s life struggle through performance art, showing that she has overcome the struggles in her life with faith, self-confidence, patience, and fearlessness.

And now I am ready, 2021
Material: Video and performance
Size: Variable
Video: Anil Shahi
Edit: Pranav Nanaryan Manandhar

MUNA
bhadel

Visit the galleries

Artist statement on Rekha

Artist statement on Gauri

Acknowledgements

Meet the curator
and the artists

Visit the galleries

Artist statement on Rekha

Artist statement on Gauri

Acknowledgements

Meet the curatorand the artists

Meet the curator
and the artists