Transition in Tradition

Transition in Tradition

Echoes from the Himalayas by artist Martin Travers

Martin Travers has been living in Nepal, on and off for the last nine years and his experience surviving the earthquake of 2015 and the many art projects that emerged since, have profoundly impacted his life and creative practice.

This exhibition showcased part of his journey, artistic interactions with various communities and individuals, and the paintings that have emerged from that. Nepal’s rich heritage is made up of numerous indigenous cultures and many of those communities are grappling with transitions in their cultural traditions due to modernisation, urbanisation, development and climate change.

During his time in Nepal, Martin has had the privilege of meeting artists from some of these communities, who are striving to retain, preserve and often adapt their particular cultural or artistic heritage to keep it relevant to the younger generation in an ever changing society.

Through his personal experience this exhibition served as a window into some of the intricacies of Nepali culture. Viewers were encouraged to delve into cultural narratives and identities to gain insights and unique perspectives that transcend superficial understanding and raise questions about the kind of future that we are all facing, globally.

As we prepare for the latest wave of technological development dominated by Artificial Intelligence, how we manage what is important to us is going to be a shared experience. What might be lost, what might be retained and who makes those decisions? www.martintravers.com