ORGANIZED BYUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

andNepal Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA)

PAINTING EXHIBITIONon

Masculinities, Gender Identities and the Role of Men in Prevention and Eliminationof Gender Based Violence

March 11 to 18, 2014Nepal Academy of Fine Arts, Naxal, Kathmandu

The exhibition features 30 exclusive paintings drawn by senior artists on the theme ofpreventing gender violence during a live painting event on November 28, 2013 organizedby UNDP and NAFA to mark the “16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence”. Theexhibition links the 2013 Activism with International Women’s Day, 2014, which is being

marked in Nepal and across the world under the slogan:“Equality for women is progress for all”.

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Art provides a unique medium for free expression of thoughtsas it has the power to communicate complex ideas throughthe language that allows unbound creativity. Employingcreative arts to convey a message of positive social changecan compliment more traditional awareness raising means.UNDP in Nepal has been exploring these new avenues andthe wonderful works of arts that are put into display in thisexhibition are the results of our recent engagement withsome of Nepal's best known artists. I believe this paintingexhibition on the theme of gender-based violenceprevention will spread the positive message that the artistswanted to convey through their art to a wider audience andcontribute towards preventing violence.

- Shoko Noda, Country Director, United Nations DevelopmentProgramme Nepal

It was indeed a pleasure for me as an artist to participate inthe painting workshop organized by UNDP on the theme ofgender violence prevention on 28th November, 2013 atBasantapur Durbar Square. It's even more gratifying to finallysee this painting exhibition coming to fruition. This exhibitionis a small effort which I hope will help convey to the publicsome positive messages to prevent and eliminate gender-based violence. We hope this event will help raise awarenessof the viewers on GBV prevention by spreading widely theartists' views and thoughts on the same. I would like tocongratulate all the participants and express my heartfeltgreetings.

- Kiran Manandhar, Chancellor, Nepal Academy of Fine Arts

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Awareness Raising on GenderBased Violence through ArtAwareness raising and education campaignsorganized in cooperation with civil societyorganizations use different means ofcommunication to target the general public,young people, men and boys, aboutaddressing the structural and underlyingcauses of gender-based violence (GBV) andabuse of women and girls, overcominggender stereotypes and promotinge zerotolerance for such violence. These were theprimary aims of the public event organizedlast year by UNDP, together with the NepalAcademy of Fine Arts (NAFA), One WorldTheater (OWT) and a host of popular youngmale and female musicians and singers. Thisevent took place at Basantapur DurbarSquare, Kathmandu during the globalcampaign '16 Days of Activism AgainstGender Violence', on November 28, 2013.

On the event day, the artists expressed theirthoughts and ideas on the theme of genderand violence through paintings, music andtheatre performance. They engaged youngstudents from schools, participating youthand the general public in the paintingactivity.

For the painting event, UNDP worked mainlywith NAFA, an autonomous bodyestablished by the Government of Nepal in2009 under the Ministry of Culture, Tourismand Civil Aviation for the promotionNepalese arts and artists. The live paintingevent brought together 30 senior artists andengaged them in live painting on the themeof GBV prevention. The painting event alsoprovided an opportunity for young boysand girls and students to learn the art fromthe seniors and draw their own paintings.

At the end of the day, there were 30paintings on display, all with compellingmessages from the artists on preventionand elimination of GBV.

As a follow up to the November 28 eventand to link with the International Women'sDay that fallson March 8, UNDP and NAFAagreed to organize an exclusive exhibitionof the paintings at the latter's art gallery inNaxal from March 11 to 18, 2014, consideringthat it would help both promote theNepalese art and artists and at the same timespread the message on GBV prevention. Thevery exhibition and the expressions thereinby male and female artists also relate to theslogan of this year's International Women'sDay: "Equality for women is progress for all".The exhibition will run for a week at the NAFAgallery from March 11-18, 2014. This brochurewill give you a peek into the beautiful artisticcreations of the day, November 28, 2013.

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Gender based violence (GBV)Gender based violence (GBV) is any form of discrimination thatdeprives an individual of their human rights and fundamentalfreedoms, based solely on their gender. It is most oftenperpetuated against women and girls by men, though boys,men and transgendered people can also be victims of GBV. Itis characterized by the use and abuse of power in public andprivate spheres, and is intrinsically linked with gender stereotypesthat underlie and perpetuate such violence.

Women and men have the right to enjoy on an equal basis, alltheir human rights and fundamental freedoms. Engagement,education, and encouragement of men and boys to recognizeand challenge harmful gender stereotypes and power dynamics,to take responsibility for their behaviour (including their sexualand reproductive behaviour), to promote respectfulrelationships, to provide positive role models for gender equalityand to take an active part in becoming strategic partners andallies in the prevention and elimination of all forms ofdiscrimination against women and girls. Preventing violenceagainst women and gender based violence is still one of thebiggest challenges for Nepal, as it is for many other countries.

Fact SheetResearch shows that a close to half (48%) of Nepali women experience violence in theirlifetime. It happens to people of all ages, all castes, all religions, all social levels and to womenwith and without children.

A majority of women are unaware of any Nepali laws that address GBV. Only 9 % of respondentswere aware that rape within marriage is illegal.

About 7% of girls in Nepal get married before the age of 10 and 40% by the age of 15 (UNSecretary-General's Study on violence against women presented at 61st General Assembly2006)

Around 99 % adolescents and youth are of the opinion that there should be equal rightsbetween male and female, but a 4 % of them perceive that it is appropriate to beatgirlfr iend/wife by boyfriend/husband to prove their control over them.

A 6% of adolescents think forcing the wife into sexual intercourse without her consent isjustified. Women who had experienced violence reported that almost three-quarters of theperpetrators were intimate partners (including husbands).

Only 13% of women are aware of the specific law against domestic violence. Only about aquarter of women (24.8%) are aware of services available to survivors of GBV.

The National Women Commission registered 243 cases of domestic violence in fiscal year2069/70, of which 172 were resolved.

[Complied from multiple sources, including reports published by Gender Empowerment andCoordination Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers of Nepal in2012, Nepal Adolescents and Youth Survey 2012, National Women Commission, Small ArmsSurvey, INSEC and others.]

Asha Dangol Bidhata KC

Chini Kaji Tamrakar D Ram Palpali

Erina TamrakarDhan Bahadur Yakkha

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Bidhata KC, 32, a contemporary artist and an art educator, painted the innermost feelingsof a girl: her struggle as she braves different forms of discrimination, violence, mistrust andabuse blocking her path to her goal. KC used a dry leaf to symbolise a woman going throughvarious struggles within her family and society, as characterised by the use of small pebblesin the bottom of the painting. In the central part of her artwork, she has mixed colours tocreate a whirlpool (Bhumari) followed by broken stairs leading to the moon.

"A girl child since her birth is brainwashed in such a way that she is unable to raise her voicefor her own rights and live a life of dignity and respect throughout her lifetime. Even if thefamily and society say that they give equal opportunities to both men and women andsupport gender equality, they fail to provide concrete support to help the girls and womenmove ahead strongly to achieve their desired goals, as shown by the presence of brokenstairs in my artwork. It is never easy for us to achieve what we want. But what matters mostis to continue to struggle with optimism, in order to be victorious one final day. Manywomen like us are educated and aware of our rights, but very few of us have courage tobreak social barriers and speak up against gender based violence existing within our familyand society."

Hari KhadkaGautam Ratna Tuladhar

Artists S

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Naveen Karmacharya, 36, a contemporary fine artist and a professional graphic designer,brings out his perspective on GBV prevention. His painting portrays a woman victim ofgender-based violence. She is receiving both fists and helping hands, which indicate thatthough the Nepali society is not free from perpetrators of violence, there are people readyto support the victims and fight against violence.

"It is high time Nepali youth break the silence against gender violence. In my canvass Ipainted a woman victim of violence who is being beaten as it is indicated by the foot thathas punched on her right temple and a fist over her head. Her hair is disheveled and herfacial expression shows she is in a great despair. But then I have painted two hands, assymbol of different organizations, raised from the bottom in support of her. The two handsin different colours show the need for support to the victim and the stones around hersymbolize the boundaries that confines Nepali women. The helping hands show theprospects of bringing the woman out of the stone walls. The Nepali youth should speakout against violence, support the victims and put an end to the culture of violence. This isthe message I wanted to convey through my painting."

Jeevan RajopadhyayHari Om Mehata

peak

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Kancha Kumar Karmachrya Karna Prasad Maskey

Keshab Khanal Kiran Manandhar

Mukunda PaudelKrishna Manandhar

Naveen Karmacharya Rabin Kumar Koirala

R a m e s h K h a n a l Ratna Kaji Shakya

Shankar Raj Singh SuwalSamjhana Raj Bhandari

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Shanta Kumar Rai Sharada Chitrakar

Shyam Lal Shrestha G y n e n d r a B i b a s

Urmila Panta PandeySusma Raj Bhandari

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Surendra Pradhan Bijay Thapa

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)UN House, Pulchowk, Lalitpur, Nepal Tel: +977-1-5523200, website: www.np.undp.org

If you have any queries about the paintings and/or the exhibition,please contact or visit NAFA at:

Nepal Academy of Fine Arts, Sitabhawan, Naxal, Kathmandu.Tel: 4430251/4421206,Fax: 4414665, Email: nafa@wlink.com.np, URL:http://www.nafa.org.np