When we write or speak of ‘art’, particularly of what is art and what isn’t, we hardly think of ‘stamps’ as being viable contenders. Often, people know very little about who designs stamps (this was the case when letters were frequently written and posted and is perhaps even more so now that the Internet has drastically changed how we communicate.
Chakati Guff, a fortnightly event at the Gallery MCube, which sees artists and art experts (from Nepal and abroad) discuss issues in art, will this time focus its attention on the art and aesthetics of the humble postage stamp. Speaking at the event, to be held on December 26, will be senior artist and stamp designer KK Karmacharya.
“Sometimes, I feel it would be such a wonderful spectacle if everyone was a painter. As a painting gives meaning to life, it flows with life. This flow is very relaxing and peaceful,” writes Karmacharya in a short essay titled ‘My Thoughts’ published on his official website. Clearly, Karmacharya is someone who is proud of and more-than-content in his calling as an artist, and this artistic proclivity is evident even in the stamps he has designed.
Karmacharya has been painting professionally since 1965, and the close to five-decade-long experience he’s had as an artist comes across beautifully in all of his works. Art enthusiasts in the Capital will be able to hear Karmacharya speak about his work—not only as a long-time stamp designer, but also as one of Nepal’s most senior artists and during his tenure as Secretary of the Nepal Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA). The main focus of the talk programme, however, will be the artistic value of Nepali stamps. To be held at the gallery premises in Chakupat, Lalitpur, the ‘Chakati Guff’ event, titled Postal Stamps in Nepal, will begin at 3 pm and last till 5.
Nepal’s first postage stamp was issued in April 1881. Later, in 1907, European-manufactured stamps bearing images of the god Pashupati were issued. These were in use till 1929. And although the actual use of stamps might have reduced drastically in recent years, these perforated pieces of printed paper are still integral as representations of any given country and its culture. Often, limited-edition stamps are issued and printed to mark special events in a nation’s history, and older, rare stamps are worth quite a lot of money. While the golden age of philately might have passed, stamps are often exquisite pictorial representations of all the things a country values at a given time and age.
KK Karmacharya has spent more than 40 years—from 1967-2005—designing stamps. He was even honoured by the Nepal Philatelic Society (in 1981), the Austrian Government Printing Office (in 1988) and by the late king Birendra (in 1987) for his work.
His most noted stamp designs include 2004’s Gadhimai Bara 10-rupee stamp, 2002’s FIFA World Cup 15-rupee stamp, a series of ‘Fish of Nepal’ stamps that bear illustrations of various river fish native to Nepal, a three-piece panorama representing the Annapurna Range in all its glory, a 2003 stamp marking Nepal’s ‘Export Year’, and a series of stamps representing Mt Everest, among others.
Published: 25-12-2013 09:30 in Kathmandu Post