A Picture worth thousand words-this old Chinese proverb has rooted in our mind for very long now. Art has been associated with the human since a very long time most probably since existence of the human civilization. Be it carving on the caves in Mustang or in pyramids of Egypt or the modern day art in the street and walls of building, art has always been a very strong media of expression and sometimes a very effective way to protest or unite people. No matter what form of art is used, a great piece of art is that which wins heart and soul of people.

Recently one of the exhibitions by 6 young artists of Nepal under the banner of Artlab Life offered such great pieces of art in Kathmandu. They were exhibiting their art work of the project Prasad - art works of 10 national heroes of Nepal.  "We have heard enough about the heroes of other countries of world and we have praised them enough but have we ever looked up to our own Nepalese heroes?? Project Prasad have tried to give tribute to the unsung heroes of Nepal and have tried to bring them among people through art" Kiran Maharjan aka H11235 one of the artists of project clarified the objective of the project. 

That's pretty patriotic and inspiring, looking at the heroes of Nepal that we have perceived in a way were being represented in different art forms, some portraits, some quotes, some graffiti same person in different forms, like looking at the different forms of life of the heroes and playing with them in colours and words but being in the hall of art of such heroes- the feeling of everyone was overwhelming.
However the story does not end here, another most interesting part of the exhibition was the use of materials for the art work. Swor Samrat Narayan Gopal (by Aditya Aryal aka Sadhu-X) being painted in the spray cans and art work of Mahakabi Laxmi Prasad Devkota (by Kiran Maharjan aka H11235) in the books itself, Painting of Pasang Lahmu Sherpa (by Aditya Aryal) in the boxes, art work of Binod Shahi (by Kiran Maharjan) in the damaged laptop screen - some amazing pieces of art with the environmental concerns. 

Canvas has been used long enough, though the art in canvas dominated the exhibition, use of these waste materials demonstrated the eco concern of artists and it was pretty influencing and inspiring. 
Use of waste materials for preparing models are not new now, but these 6 young artists have shown that its not just the paper or cloth canvas that makes an art beautiful but it the feeling with which the artist paints. Materials are the secondary things, yes the waste can equally be a good surface to create art, in fact these give additional value to the paintings at the time when everyone is advocating green. 

Waste never actually becomes waste. As the way you perceive it makes it either waste or something else. The waste that would end up in the landfill sites, river banks or burnt into ashes have now been given a meaning through art, it did not just used the materials for art but also showed that if we really do respect our heroes the token of love does not need to be statues in the middle of the road but they can be with us in cans, books, boxes screens, and lot more with us in our own rooms.
The effort from these young artists has shown the patriotism in Nepalese youth and the way of honoring our national heroes may have touched heart of many. But the eco concern of artists knowingly or unknowingly must surely have clicked creativity in many others.

Now going green is not just a slogan, it is reality and awaring people is never easy but these young artists have yet proven again we can surely do it and yes we can do it in style.

The exhibition by Artlab was not about the art itself it was more than that- patriotism and environment.