In a landmark moment for Nepal’s contemporary art scene, Kala Salon today opened its doors to the first female solo exhibition in its history, presenting Antardrishti, An Inner Vision by artist Sangee Shrestha. The show marks both a personal milestone for Shrestha and a broader cultural statement about women’s visibility in the arts.
“Art speaks more than words,” said Nabha Basnyat Thapa, Lead for Culture Sector at Unesco Nepal, who attended as chief guest. Nabha Basnyat Thapa noted that solo exhibitions by women in Nepal remain rare, calling the occasion an honour and a sign that women artists are finally claiming their space. She described Sangee Shrestha’s work as a testament to inner strength, dreams made visible and the quiet power of persistence.
Sangee Shrestha describes herself as a slow worker. The exhibition, she shared, took nearly two years to complete. That deliberate pace is evident in the layered intensity of the canvases. Her paintings portray female figures with a gently open third eye, an emblem of awakened consciousness. These are not passive muses but modern embodiments of Shakti, bold, colourful and unafraid. Each face holds stillness and fire in equal measure.
The two dimensional works are complemented by three dimensional clay forms that appear to push through the canvas, as though crossing from imagination into lived reality. The interplay between surface and sculpture blurs boundaries, suggesting that inner vision, once realised, cannot be contained.
Curator Sophia L Pande described Antardrishti as the result of nearly two years of deep self reflection and discipline. Sophia L Pande observed that Sangee Shrestha’s imagination and curiosity are matched by rigour, qualities essential to artistic growth. Through this series, she added, the artist allows her powerful feminine self to shine, transforming ideas into tangible, indelible works.
With Antardrishti, Sangee Shrestha does more than exhibit art. She asserts presence. And in doing so, she widens the frame for women who will follow.
