2025, Aug 01
The Sampada (Heritage) Wood Sculpture Workshop, held from May 28 to June 11, 2025, at the Lalitkala Campus in Kathmandu, was a pivotal event that blended tradition with innovation in Nepali sculptural practice. Organized jointly by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Bagmati Province, and Lalitkala Campus, Tribhuvan University, the workshop brought together ten experienced sculptors with ten assistant artists in an immersive, collaborative environment. It aimed to rejuvenate Nepal's esteemed woodcarving legacy through contemporary artistic exploration and critical discourse.
The concept of structured sculpture workshops can be traced back to 1959, when Austrian sculptor Karl Prantl launched the first International Sculpture Symposium in Sankt Margarethen, Austria(Prantl, 1961). Although communal art-making traditions predate this, Prantl's model formalized the collaborative, process-oriented nature of symposium-based artistic creation, distinguishing it from traditional workshop formats of the past. In the Nepali context, references to organized artistic production, such as tamrkutshala (metal workshops), date back to the Licchavi period, as evidenced by inscriptions (Bajracharya, 2030; Khattri, 2021). However, modern forms of sculpture workshops in Nepal only began to emerge in the 21st century, following the influence of international movements.
India hosted its first sculpture camp in Makrana in 1963, inspired in part by Indian sculptors such as Ajit Chakravarti (1961, Sankt Margarethen, Austria) and Krishna Reddy (1962, Sankt Margarethen, Austria)(Prantl, 1961), as well as Sankho Chaudhari (1961, Yugoslavia symposium), whose international exposure informed the development of the regional workshop model conducted at Makrana in 1962 (Katt, 1996). Nepal's first contemporary sculpture symposium was held in 2005, followed by a wood sculpture workshop at Sirjana College of Fine Arts, organized in collaboration with Arambha, Contemporary Nepali Sculptors' Group (Sculpture in Wood: Symposium 2005, 2006). These early initiatives marked a critical shift from individual studio practices to collective, participatory modes of artistic production, emphasizing collaboration, knowledge sharing, and public engagement.
Nepal's sculptural heritage, particularly in wood, faces significant challenges due to the material's inherent vulnerability to environmental degradation. Radiocarbon dating of select artifacts, such as the Avalokitesvara Sculpture-1, suggests that some wooden sculptures may date back to as early as the 6th century (Slusser, 2010, p. 289). Nonetheless, significant gaps remain in the historical record. The Transitional Period (c. 879–1200), for instance, is represented by fewer than a dozen inscriptions, in stark contrast to over 200 from the Licchavi era (Hutt & Gellner, 1995). Subsequent periods, particularly during the Rana regime, witnessed the introduction of European artistic influences, which reshaped aesthetic conventions. In the 20th century, the return of Nepali artists trained abroad catalyzed the emergence of more individualized forms of expression within the sculptural arts(Chitrakar, 2012; Khattri, 2021a).
Nepal's first contemporary stone sculpture workshop was not convened until 2005, followed shortly thereafter by a wood sculpture workshop. These initiatives marked a significant transition from solitary artistic practice to collaborative modes of creation, foregrounding skill-sharing and public engagement. In the years that followed, numerous sculpture symposia were conducted across various regions of the country, contributing to the growth of a collective sculptural culture. Nearly two decades later, the Sampada Sculpture Workshop at Lalitkala Campus, an institution similarly dedicated to art education, introduced a pedagogical innovation by pairing established sculptors with student assistants, fostering a mentorship-based, co-creative environment that bridged generational and experiential divides.
In examining the trajectory of wood sculpture in Nepal, a notable recent development beyond the Kathmandu Valley is the 2019 wood sculpture workshop held in Devdaha, Rupandehi. This initiative is particularly significant for the subsequent establishment of a dedicated wood sculpture park, where all works created during the workshop have been permanently installed. The creation of this park represents a meaningful advancement in contemporary sculptural practice in the region, fostering both the preservation and public engagement of wood-based artistic expression (Bhattarai, 2019).
In addition to the sculptural processes, the workshop incorporated seminars, musical performances, and public interactions, promoting an inclusive atmosphere that bridged heritage and modernity. The resulting artworks embody both the mastery of traditional forms and their reinterpretation through a contemporary lens, in alignment with the workshop's core objectives:
This essay documents the Sampada Workshop's processes, outcomes, and broader significance for Nepal's sculptural discourse, drawing upon field observations, artist interviews, and scholarly references to provide an integrated analysis of its contribution to contemporary art practice.
The sculptor is not merely a craftsman or an imitator but a bridge between worlds, between matter and spirit, illusion and truth, the visible and the invisible. His creation is not only an object of aesthetic appreciation but also a conduit of knowledge, emotion, and transcendence, depending on the philosophical lens through which it is viewed. The sculptor thus occupies a complex, multifaceted role: philosopher, mentor, and spiritual mediator in one.
The contrasting theories of imitation proposed by Plato and Aristotle, however, when viewed through Coomaraswamy's account of sacred art-making, offer profound insights into the role of the artist and the purpose of artistic creation (1934). Plato's suspicion of imitation, viewing art as thrice removed from truth and potentially harmful due to its appeal to emotion and illusion, challenges the artist to seek truth beyond mere appearances(Belfiore, 1984). Aristotle counters this with a more affirmative stance, seeing imitation as an essential and constructive human act that enables emotional and moral education. For Aristotle, the artist becomes an interpreter of universal truths through particular representations. Coomaraswamy adds a spiritual dimension, emphasizing the artist's role as a disciplined practitioner engaged in a transformative process of visualization, devotion, and embodiment of sacred forms. Synthesizing these perspectives, the artist emerges not simply as a creator of images but as a mediator between reality and ideal, emotion and intellect, matter and spirit, offering not illusion but insight, learning, and transcendence.
The distinctive strength of this workshop was its collaborative format, where ten professional sculptors worked directly alongside ten assistant sculptors. This arrangement enabled the hands-on transfer of traditional skills, artistic philosophies, and knowledge of materials. More than just fostering individual growth, this co-creative, exchange-based model also enriched the broader conversation around sustainable and culturally grounded sculptural practices within Nepali Art institutions.
Ganesha
This wooden sculpture by Praveen Kumar Shrestha offers a contemporary, abstract interpretation of the Hindu deity Ganesha. Eschewing elaborate ornamentation, the artist distills the figure into a composition of geometric and organic forms that emphasize mass, balance, and meditative stillness. In the frontal view, Ganesha's essential iconographic features — his trunk, prominent belly, and seated posture — are rendered through smooth, flowing surfaces. The limbs, stylized into rounded, pod-like forms, merge harmoniously with the central volume of the body, evoking a sense of both strength and tenderness.
Viewed from the back, the sculpture maintains its sculptural clarity and cohesion, focusing on the volumetric integrity of the form rather than intricate detail. The emphasis on rounded, continuous contours lends the work a quiet stability, reinforcing Ganesha's symbolic role as the remover of obstacles and guardian of beginnings. This minimalist aesthetic encourages a contemplative engagement with the divine through pure form, bridging traditional Iconography with a modern visual language.
The natural wood grain is not merely a material choice but an integral element of the sculpture's expression. It enhances the organic quality of the work, suggesting themes of vitality, continuity, and timelessness. In its abstraction and restraint, Shrestha's Ganesha invites reflection on the spiritual essence of form, offering a dialogue between sacred tradition and contemporary artistic sensibility.
The Flight
Om Khattri's The Flight presents a contemporary sculptural meditation on transcendence, protection, and spiritual aspiration, drawing critical resonance from the avian Iconography traditionally found on the roof corners of Hindu and Buddhist temples across South and Southeast Asia, particularly in Nepali Pagodas. These bird figures, most notably Garuda, Hamsa, and Jatayu, function not merely as ornamental motifs but as potent cultural symbols: cosmic guardians, divine messengers, and emblems of spiritual ascent. Through abstraction, Khattri distills the essence of these mythic beings, translating their vigilant and soaring presence into a sculptural language defined by verticality, dynamism, and monumental gestural fluidity. The sculpture's upward thrust evokes an elevation beyond the terrestrial realm, echoing the metaphysical symbolism of birds as intermediaries between the material world and the divine.
Within this Sampada conceptual framework, The Flight transcends mere representation of motion; it emerges as a sculptural invocation of the soul's longing for moksha (liberation), the illumination of consciousness over ignorance, and the sanctification of space. By reimagining these sacred archetypes through a contemporary sculptural vocabulary, Khattri situates his work within a broader discourse on cultural continuity, the symbolic language of sacred architecture, and the transformative potential of mythic form in modern artistic practice. In doing so, The Flight bridges tradition and innovation, engaging with both the spiritual heritage of the region and the evolving language of contemporary abstraction.
Towards the Divine
The wooden sculpture crafted by Narendra Prasad Bhandari during the event stands as a simplified embodiment of traditional Nepali artistry fused with a subtle modern sensibility. Carved from a single block of wood, the figure depicts a serene female form characterized by a gentle contrapposto stance, flowing posture, and delicate ornamentation. The composition emphasizes delicate balance and grace, with somehow naturalistic anatomical detailing that reflects both classical influences and the artist's technical mastery. The prominent floral motifs adorning the head and lower torso serve not only as aesthetic embellishments but also as symbolic references to fertility, beauty, and divinity, often seen in Hindu and Buddhist iconography.
Bhandari's choice to leave the wood in its natural tone enhances the sculpture's organic texture, inviting the viewer to appreciate the materiality and the intricate chisel work. This artwork exemplifies the revitalization of indigenous woodcarving practices within contemporary art contexts, showcasing how traditional forms can retain cultural depth while resonating with present-day artistic discourse.
Coexistence
This sculpture skillfully integrates abstraction with traditional textile references and layered symbolism, resulting in a work that is both visually compelling and engaging. The intertwined forms evoke themes of unity, cooperation, and the harmonious convergence of opposing forces. The application of sunken and bas-relief carvings across the surface enhances the textural and underscores the work's dialogue with cultural heritage. These ornamental motifs suggest a deep connection to nature and traditional aesthetic values, potentially drawing influence from religious or indigenous art traditions while also subtly referencing elements of industrial design.
However, the horizontal form placed atop a vertically spiral-carved pole introduces a formal tension that may not fully align with the conceptual implications suggested by the sculpture's title. This structural choice, while visually intriguing, could be seen as diminishing the clarity of the intended symbolism.
Formally, the sculpture achieves a refined elegance through its dynamic twisting motion and squarely crafted surfaces. Conceptually, it encourages contemplation of balance, duality, and transformation. By merging formal sophistication with symbolic depth, the work positions itself within a broader discourse on spirituality, material culture, and contemporary art language.
Culture of Equality
Bhuwan's sculpture offers a visually compelling and conceptually nuanced exploration of the relationship between community and individuality. Carved from separate pieces of richly grained wood, the biomorphic forms are fluid and curvilinear, punctuated by a series of rhythmically placed vertical elements that resemble stylized human heads. Each head emerges from a circular aperture, suggesting seated or rooted figures and evoking associations with gatherings, assemblies, or structured social systems.
The consistent use of a singular material, such as wood, fosters an aesthetic of communal cohesion. At the same time, the organic variations in grain texture and nuanced formal distinctions subtly articulate the presence of individuality within the collective. The undulating base upon which the figures are mounted suggests movement, resembling a wave or communal platform, and reinforces the idea of a shared journey or dynamic interaction among individuals.
Formally, the sculpture balances organic materiality with symbolic content, offering a meditative reflection on themes of belonging, social cohesion, and the persistence of personal identity within collective structures. In doing so, it establishes a harmonious dialogue between material process and conceptual intent, situating the work within a broader discourse on the human condition.
Bheti (Offering)
Raju Pithakote's sculpture, Bheti, presents a sophisticated contemporary intervention into enduring Hindu ritual practices, particularly those centered around the Kilagal shrine in Kathmandu. Employing an abstract visual lexicon, the work invokes the ritual of mana pathi (votive offerings) through the metaphor of embedded coins, a subtle allusion to the culturally resonant practice of affixing coins onto wooden surfaces as a gesture of spiritual accountability and debt acknowledgment before the deity. Eschewing literal representation, Pithakote's archetypal abstraction elevates this ritual into a conceptual meditation on memory, devotion, and ethical obligation, thereby foregrounding the adaptive resilience of belief systems within modern urban milieus.
The artist deliberately situates Bheti within a constellation of indigenous Nepali socio-religious practices, including Bheti (offerings), Saapat (rotational reciprocity), Paimcho, and Parma Pata (mutual aid), which collectively embody core principles of compassion, collective solidarity, and dharmic action. These principles, rooted in the ethos of dharma, serve as guiding frameworks for both individual morality and communal advancement. Through its materiality and form, the sculpture evokes the haptic dimensions of these traditions, prompting viewers to contemplate the intricate relationship between ritual observance, social justice, and spiritual testimony in contemporary life.
Furthermore, Pithakote denied this connection to spirituality and religion. However, Bheti consciously or unconsciously incorporates motifs from Kathmandu's layered artistic and cultural heritage, thereby asserting its embeddedness in local identity while simultaneously engaging in broader dialogues on cultural preservation and reinterpretation. In this dual capacity, the work operates as both a site-specific homage to a localized votive tradition and a universal interrogation of tradition's evolving role within the shifting socio-spiritual dynamics of the present.
God of the Niche
Saradaman's God of the Niche is a compelling wooden sculpture that fuses architectural symbolism with organic form to explore themes of protection, spirituality, and memory within the domestic realm. Carved from a single timber block, its spiraling structure is punctuated by miniature niches and apertures resembling windows, shrines, and sanctums, evoking the intimate architecture of a traditional home. The inclusion of minuscule deities carefully placed within niches or inner chambers and the outer, gourd-like forms mirrors the sacred placement of icons in household altars. Notably, the presence of a Shivalinga and Nandi within a shrine-like cavity evokes the Diogriha (inner sanctum) of a temple. In contrast, the lower cavity suggests a Garbhagriha (womb chamber), grounding the sculpture in archetypal sacred architecture. The subtle anthropomorphic overtones and the interplay of solid and void create a meditative rhythm, drawing viewers into a contemplative journey through layered spaces and spiritual symbolism. With its raw, unpolished texture and hand-hewn character, the piece resonates with vernacular authenticity, standing as a guardian presence that protects and spiritualizes the home through form and metaphor.
Musical Mood
Bisnu Shrestha's Musical Mood presents a compelling intersection of traditional cultural symbolism and modernist sculptural abstraction. Carved from a monolithic timber block, the work distills the figure of a sarangi player into a biomorphic, androgynous form, eschewing anatomical realism for a universal emotive presence. The composition conveys musical engagement through schematic gestures, with hands placed suggestively on the instrument, while the exaggerated scale of the sarangi and the unresolved volumetric treatment on the reverse side introduce formal tensions. These elements, although visually striking, compromise the spatial cohesion and sculptural completeness expected in modernist idioms.
Nonetheless, the sculpture resonates with symbolic richness: the fusion of musician and instrument, the hollowed chest cavity as a metaphorical soundbox, and the rear view's resemblance to meditative archetypes all deepen its expressive range. Despite its conceptual ambition, the piece falls short of achieving complete formal synthesis; refinement in the articulation of mass, contour, and spatial unity might have elevated its aesthetic resolution. Still, Musical Mood remains a significant exploration of how Nepali folk traditions can be reimagined through essentialist modernist forms, offering a contemplative space where music, identity, and spiritual introspection converge.
Nawa Bhanjyana
Bisal Saru's sculpture, Nawa Bhanjyana (Nine Passes Between the Mountains), is a deeply evocative wooden sculpture that synthesizes the human form with a landscape metaphor, transforming a seated female figure into a symbolic embodiment of topography and passage. Carved from a single trunk, the sculpture's base is intricately incised with rhythmic, vertical recesses that suggest mountain pathways, caves, or natural corridors, each a metaphorical gateway through which journeys—both physical and spiritual—unfold. Rising from this textured terrain is the semi-abstracted figure of a woman, her features emerging gently from the grain of wood, evoking a sense of serenity and timeless presence. The fusion of figure, Python, and geography reflects an intimate connection between the feminine body and the natural world, positioning the female form as both guardian and embodiment of the mountainous landscape. The sculpture resists polish, allowing the raw texture and organic flow of the wood to echo the natural erosion and layering of the mountains themselves. Through this tactile materiality and conceptual layering, Saru invites viewers to reflect on resilience, passage, and the enduring interconnection between land, body, and spirit.
Titled 'The Veer Khamba,' sculpted by Tara Prasad Ojha, it stands as a monumental synthesis of artistic vision and historical consciousness, bridging the heroic past of the Doti State with the aesthetics of contemporary sculptural discourse. Based on discourse and extensive research, Ojha skillfully traces and translates the essence of the Vieer Khambas, the commemorative warrior pillar of Western Nepal, into a refined wooden form that resonates with both tradition and innovation. Inspired in part by Dilli Raj Sharma's seminal work, as well as the Veer Khambas of Western Nepal, and drawing on historical texts and visual references, Ojha integrates multiple layers of meaning through symbolic reliefs, scriptural inscriptions in Devanagari, and formal architectural structures. The crowned head at the summit evokes the dignity and spirit of ancestral warriors, while the reliefs depicting sacred Narsingha, a map of the extended Doti region, Sheshnaag (serpent) Kurma Avatar (tortoise incarnation), and ornamental archetypal motifs speak to the interconnectedness of nature, ritual, and memory. Through this sophisticated interplay of form, texture, and content, Ojha not only commemorates the valorous legacy of the Doti region but also engages in a broader global dialogue on identity, resilience, and artistic expression. His sculpture functions not merely as a historical monument but as a living archive rooted in place yet open to evolving interpretations across time and cultures.
During the Sampada Wood Sculpture Workshop, assistant sculptors engaged in a rigorous and immersive creative process under the mentorship of senior sculptors. This collaborative environment fostered both technical development and conceptual experimentation. The resulting body of work demonstrates a wide range of stylistic tendencies, cultural references, and levels of sculptural resolution, collectively reflecting the workshop's pedagogical vision and its role in shaping emerging sculptural practices.
Susmita Moktan's sculpture presents a vertically ascending, semi-abstract form marked by a gentle bifurcation at its apex. Carved from a single block of wood and mounted on a cylindrical base, the work's smooth, tapering contours evoke an organic presence, suggestive of budding botanical forms or anatomical structures. The absence of surface texture draws attention to volume, silhouette, and the subtle interplay of light and shadow. A central groove bisecting the form introduces a quiet, sensuous quality, creating visual duality within a minimalist structure. The piece stands as a contemplative study in balance and rhythm, asserting its presence through formal restraint and meditative silence.
Dipak Shahi's sculpture contrasts in tone, offering a gestural and fluid composition. The twisting, loop-like form implies motion and equilibrium within a spatially compact format. Its bulbous lower volume and gently flaring upper ends generate a sense of upward movement, while the interaction between concave and convex surfaces encourages tactile engagement. The sculpture's non-hierarchical orientation—with no fixed front or back—aligns with contemporary sculptural ideas that challenge traditional notions of static viewership. The seamless integration of form and base reinforces the work's internal harmony, embodying a dynamic tension between material weight and formal lightness.
Bipul Prajapati's sculpture explores the relationship between volume and void with striking clarity. A dominant spherical form is punctuated by a central cavity, producing a dialogue between mass and emptiness. From the apex rises a flame-like extension, infusing the work with symbolic resonance—perhaps referencing themes of transformation, energy, or spiritual ascent. The sculpture resists decorative embellishment, opting instead for the integrity of form and the tactile presence of polished wood grain. Biomorphic in its abstraction and meditative tone, the work invites sustained contemplation from multiple perspectives.
Karuna Shrestha's conch-shaped sculpture departs from figural representation in favor of symbolic abstraction. Through simplified organic forms, the work evokes the presence of a female washerwoman in a suspended, floating configuration. Embracing spatial fluidity and conceptual openness, the sculpture aligns with modern aesthetic concerns, privileging metaphor and abstraction over narrative clarity or religious Iconography.
In a related formal language, Samir Rajbanshi's sculpture takes the shape of a vertically ascending spiral. Minimalist in its conception and reductive in form, the piece emphasizes upward motion and structural purity. The restrained geometry and compositional focus articulate modernist ideals of essentialism and introspective growth, revealing the artist's control over material and conceptual execution.
In contrast, Krijesh Rajchal's depiction of hand gestures demonstrates technical virtuosity and symbolic depth. The meticulously carved mudras and coiling serpent serve not only as formal motifs but also as carriers of esoteric meaning rooted in Tantric Iconography. Rajchal's command of detail and form situates the work at the intersection of ritual function and sculptural excellence, reflecting both iconographic fidelity and artistic interpretation.
Bidur Paudel's sculpture, rooted in Buddhist philosophical imagery, embraces a devotional aesthetic. Floral and flame-like ornamental motifs unite the sculpture's upper and lower sections through a central vertical axis, drawing heightened attention to the base (kaligadi), which is rendered with significant craftsmanship. The piece's symmetrical balance and ornate patterning place it firmly within a traditional sculptural lineage, evoking ritual and symbolic associations rather than contemporary abstraction.
Dipak Shrestha's second work, a sculpture of Ganesha, interprets traditional Iconography through the lens of folk art. Carved in low relief from a single vertical log, the figure extends approximately to knee height and resonates with indigenous carving practices. The combination of devotional subject matter and vernacular formal language reflects a continuity of localized artistic traditions within a contemporary setting.
Rajan Lamichhane's sculpture, a fragmented bell-like form, engages with symbolic abstraction but remains formally unresolved. Surface motifs referencing Chhepu iconography suggest an intention to integrate craft traditions with spiritual significance. However, the execution lacks clarity, indicating a need for further refinement in both conceptual development and sculptural resolution.
Lastly, Bibash Sharma's miniature sculpture of a danphe (Himalayan monal) represents an ambitious experiment in scale. While the attempt at reduction is notable, the piece suffers from an underdeveloped formal structure and insufficient engagement with the process. It underscores the importance of disciplined practice and time investment in achieving sculptural coherence and depth of expression.
Collectively, these works embody a diversity of formal experimentation, material sensitivity, and cultural engagement. More significantly, they affirm the value of mentorship-based learning and collaborative workshop models in nurturing the next generation of sculptors, supporting both tradition and innovation within the evolving field of contemporary Nepali sculpture.
More than just a site for creating artworks, the Sampada Wood Sculpture Workshop served as a dynamic pedagogical platform where learning was collaborative, embodied, and dialogic. Held in an open studio environment, the workshop integrated academic discourse with hands-on craftsmanship, creating a space where knowledge was not only transmitted but also collectively constructed through experience.
The daily interactions among professional sculptors, student assistants, visiting scholars, and audiences transformed the workshop into a laboratory of ideas. Informal discussions, critiques, and spontaneous demonstrations fostered an atmosphere of mutual learning and critical engagement. Participants employed a hybrid toolkit ranging from traditional hand tools like chisels and mallets to modern mechanical devices such as grinders and chainsaws, highlighting the evolving nature of wood sculpture in the contemporary era.
Artists initiated their creative processes with conceptual drawings and maquettes, emphasizing the importance of form, symbolism, and proportion before material execution. This method encouraged both technical precision and conceptual depth, offering students a comprehensive view of artistic development from idea to realization.
The intergenerational dialogue between established artists and emerging practitioners was a central component of the workshop's pedagogical impact. Learning extended beyond formal instruction, taking place during shared meals, communal tool use, and the meditative act of carving. These moments of exchange fostered the transmission of diverse artistic philosophies and problem-solving strategies.
By inviting the public and engaging students from other disciplines, the workshop became a living exhibition, a space where education, cultural identity, and artistic innovation converged. As an alternative model to conventional art education, the Sampada Workshop underscored the process as pedagogy, positioning heritage as a living and continually evolving force.
The Sampada Wood Sculpture Workshop emerged as a critical and timely response to the increasing erosion of traditional artisanal knowledge under the pressures of industrialization, digital fabrication, and mass production. Reaffirming the value of wood both as a material and as a metaphor, the workshop repositioned the sculptor not merely as a craftsperson but as a cultural thinker, researcher, and innovator. By convening ten established and ten assistant sculptors, it created an immersive space for intergenerational exchange, mentorship, and collaborative experimentation, emphasizing reflective making and dialogic learning.
Participants went beyond replicating historical motifs, engaging in rigorous visual research to interrogate Iconography, deconstruct ritual forms, and explore abstraction. This process aimed to revitalize ancestral traditions within a contemporary framework. The workshop's intellectual scope was enriched through thematic seminars and public dialogues that added an academic dimension. Dhruba Karki's paper, "Myth of the Performing Body: Root of the Visual Spectacle of Dance and Cinema," explored performative origins in art forms. Yam Sharma's writings on Aesthetics in Sculpture examined the syntactic structure of imagination and form. Jasmin Rajbhandari's study of Vishnu iconography in Mohan Chowk offered a historical and visual analysis of Nepalese woodcarving. At the same time, Parsuram Poudel's research explored the relationship between wooden sculpture and the preservation of musical instruments.
Broader thematic discussions, such as "Materiality as Metaphor," "Ritual in Contemporary Contexts," and "The Sculptural Body as Landscape," expanded the discourse into anthropology, philosophy, and postmodern theory. These conversations fostered critical vocabularies around heritage, identity, and material culture, contributing to scholarly discourse on indigenous and regionally grounded art practices.
Challenging dominant art education paradigms, the workshop advanced a decolonial model that foregrounded local epistemologies and knowledge systems. It positioned traditional Nepali woodcraft as a dynamic and contemporary practice. As a site of artistic and theoretical production, the workshop holds long-term curricular and institutional significance, particularly for institutions like the Lalitkala Campus.
This catalog presents more than a compilation of sculptural forms. It offers a curatorial reflection on a critical moment of cultural confluence. The Sampada Wood Sculpture Workshop stands as a model of how contemporary artistic practice can reanimate heritage through the lens of interdisciplinary engagement and pedagogical innovation. Its significance lies not only in the artworks produced but also in the larger curatorial framework that shaped and sustained the event as a site of inquiry, transmission, and transformation.
One of the workshop's defining strengths was its commitment to intergenerational dialogue. By bringing together master sculptors and emerging apprentices in a shared creative space, the workshop enacted a living pedagogy where knowledge was not merely preserved but actively engaged, tested, and reinterpreted. This mode of transmission reaffirmed Sampada (heritage) as a dynamic continuum rather than a fixed tradition.
The use of Camphor wood, rich in fragrance, grain, and historical resonance, underscored a deeper material narrative. In the hands of the sculptors, the wood itself became a text: its growth rings evoked time, its aroma suggested ritual presence, and its surface bore the scars of transformation. Materiality, in this context, was not neutral; it functioned as a metaphorical and sensorial conduit through which themes of resilience, erosion, memory, and rebirth were explored.
At the intersection of practice and theory, the workshop engaged a diverse range of artistic disciplines, including sculpture, music, academic discourse, and public interaction. This multidisciplinary synthesis fostered a vibrant ecology where sonic, tactile, and intellectual dimensions enriched the sculptural process. It also challenged the conventional boundaries of the art workshop, positioning it as a living archive and a dialogic space where the spiritual, the conceptual, and the political could coalesce.
As you explore the sculptural works and artist reflections documented in this catalog, you are invited to engage with the questions that permeated the workshop:
These are not merely rhetorical inquiries. They form the curatorial logic that underpins the workshop. Like the layered grain of Camphor wood, the answers emerge gradually, revealing a rich interweaving of tradition, experimentation, and cultural imagination. The Sampada Workshop matters because it demonstrates that heritage is not a static inheritance but a mutable and generative force capable of shaping the present as much as it reflects the past.
The Sampada Wood Sculpture Workshop emerged not merely as a site of artistic production but as a living laboratory of cultural transmission, critical pedagogy, and intergenerational dialogue. Within its fifteen-day span, the workshop reanimated wood sculpture as both an artistic and intellectual practice, one that bridges ancestral wisdom and contemporary expression. Far from being an exercise in nostalgic preservation, Sampada activated heritage as a dynamic, interpretive process, where chisels inscribed not only forms into wood but meaning into time.
The range of sculptures produced, spanning minimalist abstraction, symbolic figuration, ritual iconography, and conceptual hybridity, demonstrates a nuanced negotiation between rootedness and reinvention. Traditional materials, such as camphor wood, and techniques rooted in Nepali artisanal heredities coexisted with modernist aesthetic concerns and speculative inquiries. In doing so, the workshop challenged binary distinctions between the sacred and the secular, the past and the present, the local and the global.
Crucially, Sampada functioned as a pedagogical model where learning occurred through embodied practice, communal critique, and intellectual immersion. The mentorship model fostered a decolonial and dialogical approach to knowledge production, positioning Indigenous craft not as peripheral but as central to contemporary art discourse. Apprentices and senior artists co-created in an open studio environment, where viewers were invited to witness and participate in the evolving narrative of each work, thus dissolving traditional separations between artist, audience, and artifact.
As a cultural microcosm, Sampada raised fundamental questions for the future of heritage-based artistic practices: How can devotional forms become vehicles for contemporary critique? What roles do abstraction and material agency play in renewing ritual vocabularies? Can institutions meaningfully sustain such collaborative, process-oriented models beyond episodic events?
The closing of the workshop, rather than signifying an end, marked the beginning of a mandate. The sculptures, imbued with spiritual, historical, and conceptual layers, now enter public consciousness not only as works of art but as vessels of continuity and critique. In an era marked by cultural homogenization and the erosion of traditional knowledge systems, Sampada stands as a testament to the enduring relevance of localized, material-centered, and community-rooted artistic practices.
Ultimately, Sampada affirms that heritage is not a passive inheritance. It is a practice of making, remaking, and meaning-making. It must be lived, questioned, reshaped, and carried forward. In wood, in gesture, in thought.
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