Figurative Painters Kapilmani Dixit and Roshan Bhandari Showcase Decade of Work in 'Counters of Two' Exhibition

The painting exhibition titled 'Counters of Two' is currently underway at the Music Art Gallery located in Sanepa, Lalitpur. The exhibition, featuring joint works by two artists, Kapilmani Dixit and Roshan Bhandari, who predominantly create figurative works in the Nepali art scene, began on Falgun 9.

The exhibition, which runs until Chaitra 7, can be seen not just as a display of canvases but as a confluence of the parallel creative journeys of the two artists spanning a decade. Although they work in different styles, a common sentiment is found in their art across layers of memory, feeling, and time. The artworks displayed in the exhibition are not passive sentiments of memory, but rather active energy shaping color, gesture, and silence. Each canvas becomes a site for transforming memory and momentary feeling, inviting the viewer not just to look, but also to listen to the whisper of colors.

Dixit's works are fearless and free. His lines are clear, and his colors are deep and powerful. In his initial phase, he created realistic female figures through meticulous study of the physical structure, but over time, he has made his language concise and essential. Today, a long eye or a sharp nose can convey an entire presence. Indication has become more potent than description; essence is more meaningful than decoration. The tactile memory of the process is clearly visible on his surfaces, where the brush sometimes transforms into the hand, and the painting is created through hand gestures. Roshan Bhandari's colors create an environment of feeling, not just objects.

Memories from childhood, half-forgotten phrases, and cultural echoes gradually emerge, which can only be felt like a story shining through the fog upon patient observation. Despite stylistic differences, a silent visual dialogue is ongoing between these two artists. Dialogues between the individual and society, tradition and change, speech and silence are reflected in their works. The exhibition feels less like an arrangement of objects and more like a shared diary written in color—where the gradual evolution of artistic identity is inscribed.

Artist Bhandari completed his postgraduate degree in Fine Arts from Tribhuvan University after studying at the Indian Vidyapeeth College of Arts on an Indian Council for Cultural Relations scholarship, becoming the faculty topper in 2012-13. His practice is a balance of academic rigor and poetic sensibility. His attempt to reinterpret Nepali folklore and oral traditions into a contemporary abstract language has expanded international dialogue to Nepal, India, Italy, Bangladesh, and the Philippines.

Kapilmani Dixit earned his Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from the University of Texas, USA, in 2004, and upon returning to Nepal in 2008, he took on the courageous initiative to establish figurative and nude art in a contemporary context. His persistence became a silent resistance amidst social hesitation. He has made significant contributions to figurative art education and continues to guide the new generation. Nearly four decades of practice and over 40 awards show that his influence extends beyond the canvas.