Ashmina Ranjit, taking art out to the real world

A talented artist, Ashmina Ranjit likes to experiment with her work as she believes that if an artist begins to enjoy their comfort zones, they die, so, need to challenge yourself to bring something new. Influenced by the times in which she lives and the events happening around her, most of her work are never disconnected from social and political issues.



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Although her seniors, mentors and colleagues had always warned her to stay away from those issues while she was starting out as an artist, she could never really detach herself with those issues. She had decided that she would ask questions through Nepalese art, the art that never asked questions and usually remained as a part of an interior decoration rather than anything significant. During the time she started out, The Civil War was at its peak and deciding that she could not be a bystander as the country plunged deeper into crisis, she and a few other people organized a project called Bichalit Bartaman in 2002 with the objective of drawing attention to the ongoing violence where over a hundred artists and other prominent personalities had participated. They wanted to take art out of the canvas and use it for something more as art is one of the best and strongest forms of expression.

Bichalit Bartaman proved to be very successful taking Nepalese art to a new era. Many people liked it although there were some who refused to even consider it an art. The Civil War also became one of the things that contributed to the rise of artivism and she was one of the strong parts of it. It gave the artists a chance to use their art for something more than just a way of expression or a part of creation, it became a way of asking questions. This period also changed art from an ‘elites’ tranquilizer’ to a ‘creative force’. Using a variety of mediums including drawing, painting, installation, live art performance and sound Ashmina Ranjit organized and performed on numerous events taking art out of the bubble world of the studio and galleries to the real world on the streets.

For more information on her work, visit www.lasanaa.org.np and lasanaa.wordpress.com or email at ashmina@gmail.com