Curator Statement
Globally, urbanization is a challenge various nations and communities are facing. Cities, world over, parallel stories of struggle, of the search for a better life. They are a melting pot where backgrounds clash, where common grounds are shaped. Cities are the focal points of intellectual and cultural activities, yet with its abundance of opportunities The City is still an embodiment of both human achievement and vice.
Kathmandu is regarded as one of the fastest urbanizing cities in one of the least developed countries of the world. The Valley has become unrecognizable in a short period of global influence. A fact that presents rare opportunity to reflect changes gripping the city and hopes of preserving its natural and historical identity.
Through KT 2017 artists, curators, writers and others will use Kathmandu as a catalyst to prepare their own meditation on social issues embedded in the city. Major issues that will reflected in the exhibition include: human rights, migration, environmental degradation/pollution, socio-economic disparity, vernacular culture, gender and politics.
For his exceptional work in cities across the world, eminent artist Francis Alÿs has been chosen as the Artist Patron of KT 2017.