News from Khandroling Paper Cooperative

Khandroling Paper Cooperative is pleased to announce that Nepalese artist, Milan Rai, received his visa to travel to the US at the invitation of KPC. Milan has traveled the globe installing his paper butterflies as a transformative and interactive event. In the photo below, the butterflies are installed on a tree stump in Nepal where deforestation devastates the entire bioregion. His work first came to our notice through one of our founding members, Kathryn O'Connor who recently returned from Nepal, and is sponsoring his visit.

Milan will be part of our first group show at the Ursa Major Gallery in Shelburne Falls opening September 14, 2013. Other events around Milan's visit TBA.

Khandroling Paper Cooperative is deeply committed to fostering art in relation to sustainable practices throughout the Himalayan region and applying traditional art forms such as calligraphy, paper cutting, printmaking, and painting to our handmade papers.





Milan Rai Artist Statement:

I am Milan Rai, a self-taught visual artist born in 1985, Nepal. Since my early childhood, Art has been my only passion. Therefore, the education curriculum in my high school did not interest me at all. As a result I got expelled and along began my dream of attending an Art school. While other students saw their opportunities shining everywhere, I however felt the lack of that opportunity in my life. Since my talent was hidden I guess this was where the seed of passion got buried in the field of a young man's life. This was where my journey as an artist started. I released my first solo exhibition at PARK gallery on 2007. Later, I began collaborations with poets, dancers, choreographers, actors, and musicians. In this period of my life I shifted towards spontaneous practice often involving the perceiver in the process of creativity and the exploration of the environment. In this transitional phase, I became more aware of a sensual engagement with the audience. I am devoted towards my performance and willing to go beyond contemporary artifacts.

My foremost practice today is to expand the parameters of postmodern culture and simplify the complex by transforming the audience from being viewers to being a part of the art. I became more obsessed to enter into a unique system of everyday life and public spaces to intensify the process of interplay between art and people. I have been very blessed with many opportunities that connected me with my obsession.

Visit his Facebook Page of An Artist Converting a City to Butterfly with photos of his international events. We look forward to having him visit us soon.

OTHER PROJECTS

KPC will host several international projects this year in honor of Tsegyalgar East's upcoming 30th Anniversary and the Inauguration of the Mandala Hall July 11-13, 2014 with Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. 

These include a traditional Festscrift honoring Chögyal Namkhai Norbu's Teaching in North America containing original poems, photographs and art work to coincide with a show and reading at a local venue; A three-day Master Papermaking Workshop with our resident faculty Sheryl Jaffe for international Dzogchen Community members who are interested in learning how to start a sustainable small business making paper using recycled materials, especially sacred texts and native fibers; and a Time Capsule project to write messages to future practitioners on a ten foot X four foot handmade scroll made with sacred substances and recycled sacred texts (treated for longevity) by KPC members.

For further information, updates and slide shows of all recent events visit http://www.khandrolingpapers.blogspot.com