Photo by Jane Louis Photography
Nepalese artist IMAGINE (a.k.a Sneha Shrestha) presents a new temporary public art installation that celebrates and takes inspiration from the diverse Himalayan cultures of the Jackson Heights, Queens, neighborhood.
Originally from Kathmandu, Nepal, and working between Boston and Kathmandu, IMAGINE has created public murals around the world and often incorporates her native language into her work while meshing the aesthetics of Sanskrit scriptures with a graffiti art style. She has shown her meditative artworks in several museums including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, where her work was featured as part of Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now.
For her first public art sculpture, IMAGINE is creating an eight-foot-tall installation in the shape of an arch made of repeating rows of ‘Ka,’ the first letter of the Nepali alphabet. In Nepal, religious and sacred environments feature variations in the form of archways, which encourage passersby to look through and get blessings from the divine. IMAGINE’s sculpture will invite the public to interact and experience a meditation and “send” it out to the universe as they embark upon their pathways through Diversity Plaza.
About a Living Culture (working title) is a NYC DOT Art Community Commission in partnership with the Rubin. Community Commissions is a signature NYC DOT Art initiative in which the agency collaborates with community-based organizations to commission artists to design and install temporary public art on NYC DOT infrastructure citywide.
IMAGINE (a.k.a. Sneha Shrestha) is a Nepali artist who incorporates her native language and the aesthetics of Sanskrit scriptures into her work. Her art has been featured in several exhibitions, and her public walls appear across the world from Kathmandu to Boston. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, acquired her painting Home416, making her the first contemporary Nepali artist to be part of the museum’s collection. Sneha received her master’s from Harvard University.
Rubin Museum
150 W. 17th St., NYC
The supporter list for the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art’s DOT Art Community Commission at Diversity Plaza is in formation.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
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