Kathmandu, November 2
Artist Padmashree Shrestha’s doll exhibition, ‘Connecting Cultures’, showcases traditional customs, rituals and everyday community life through miniature figures and scenes at Music Art Gallery in Sanepa.
The exhibition, which opened on October 28, will run until November 6.
The display features miniature representations of women collecting water from traditional wells, preparing food in clay vessels, making beaten rice, playing traditional musical instruments and participating in Newa marriage rituals.
Through her creations, Shrestha aims to preserve cultural practices that are becoming less familiar amid changing urban lifestyles.
“These dolls are not only commercial pieces; they represent my ethnicity and origin,” Shrestha said.
The compositions incorporate traditional clothing, ornaments, utensils, musical instruments and ritual objects. Some also depict Newa marriage customs, including the exchange and recording of gifts between families.
Biomedical research scientist Dr Sameer Mani Dixit, who visited the exhibition, praised the craftsmanship and cultural significance of the dolls, saying they captured the richness of Newari traditions.
Shrestha’s interest in doll-making began in childhood, inspired by dolls made by her grandmother. She later studied sculpture and painting under artists Govinda Lal Singh Dangol and Sunil Ranjit.
The exhibition marks her seventh doll exhibition at the gallery.
