Publications by Dina Bangdel
Dina Bangdel, « Packaging the Naked Buddhas », Ateliers d'anthropologie [En ligne], 43 | 2016, mis en ligne le 05 octobre 2016, consulté le 05 octobre 2016. URL : http://ateliers.revues.org/10263
This article explores the phenomenon of tourist art in Nepal, as narratives of cultural imagining... more This article explores the phenomenon of tourist art in Nepal, as narratives of cultural imaginings, specifically as constructions of identity and meaning through the commodification of “ethnic” art. This demand for the imagined “authentic” has given rise to new iconographies and nontraditional
styles that are increasingly becoming the standard for tourist paintings. This paper
argues that tourist imaginings offer an alternative space for artistic creativity and innovation. I consider how traditional artists see themselves meeting the expectations of tourists, by constructing categories of the aesthetic tastes of the “other,” based on specific national identities in a global context. This imagining then becomes critical to the marketing/packaging of the
commodities as it underscores how these new iconographies are interpreted and sold as continuities of the traditional works of art. As a tourist commodity, these cultural productions, their negotiations with local reception and global consumption provide alternative frameworks to contextualize paradoxical definitions of authenticity, tradition, and innovation.
Cet article s’intéresse au phénomène de l’art touristique comme une production de récits d’imaginaire culturel, et plus particulièrement une construction d’identité et de sens au travers de la marchandisation de l’art « ethnique ». Cette quête d’une « authenticité » imaginée a donné naissance à une nouvelle iconographie et à des styles non traditionnels devenus des standards des peintures pour touristes. Cet article défend l’idée que l’imaginaire touristique est un espace
alternatif propice à la créativité et à l’innovation artistique. Il montre comment les artistes traditionnels répondent aux attentes des touristes, catégorisant le goût des autres à partir d’identités nationales construites dans un contexte de globalisation. Cet imaginaire est essentiel dans les processus de marchandisation et de « packaging » de ces biens en permettant à ces nouvelles iconographies d’être vendues et interprétées en continuité avec les oeuvres d’art traditionnel. Ces productions culturelles et, en tant que produits pour touristes, leur négociation entre échanges locaux et consommation mondialisée, offrent un cadre contextualisé de réflexion sur les définitions paradoxales de l'authenticité, de la tradition et de l'innovation.
Articles/Book Chapters by Dina Bangdel
Commentary on the Nepal Earthquake and rebuilding of cultural heritage sites. Orientations Magaz... more Commentary on the Nepal Earthquake and rebuilding of cultural heritage sites. Orientations Magazine, June 2015.
Abstract:
Using Nepal as a case study, this article explores the phenomena of tourist art as nar... more Abstract:
Using Nepal as a case study, this article explores the phenomena of tourist art as narratives of cultural imaginings, specifically the constructions of identity and meaning through the production and marketing of “ethnic” art. This demand on the imagined “authentic” has given rise to new iconographies and non-traditional artistic styles that are increasingly becoming the standard for tourist art. Based on field interviews of the artists, middleman agents, and consumer tourists in the Kathmandu Valley, this paper argues that touristic experiences offer a space for the defining of artistic creativity. As a tourist commodity, these cultural productions, their negotiations with local reception and global consumption may offer a framework to understand the construction of paradoxical definition of artistic authenticity, aesthetics, and innovation.
Keywords
Nepal, traditional crafts, tourist art, authenticity, souvenirs, Newar art
in DIFFERENT VOICE (published by LASANAA.
Marg Publication, edited by Deepak Shimkhada
(Kathmandu: LASANAA Publications, 2010).
Orientations, Jan 1, 2001
Orientations, Jan 1, 2003
An academic directory and search engine.
Conference Presentations/Abstracts by Dina Bangdel
Women’s performance art since the 1960s has historically constituted subversive radical strategie... more Women’s performance art since the 1960s has historically constituted subversive radical strategies to disrupt and actively resist patriarchal systems of art and cultural practices. Overtly and inherently political, such early performances have profoundly shaped the trajectory of feminist art movements as agents for social change in the non-Western contexts. In de-centering the feminist art historical practice outside the Western paradigms, this paper will consider the ways in which “Third World” women’s art engages in an alternative discourse of feminist
theory and activism that reaches beyond the hegemonic boundaries of the East/West binaries. Specifically my discussion explores women’s performance art
in South Asia as a discursive platform to transcend the structures of patriarchy that have so centrally defined women’s cultural, historical and political past.
Reading through the lens of feminist theory, I consider the distinctive conceptions of performance art by two contemporary South Asian women artists—Ashmina
Ranjit from Nepal and Aisha Khalid from Pakistan—that collectively speak of women’s experiences centering around their gendered identities of self, body politics, and sexuality. For these women’s artists, performance art becomes a
locus of gender discourse of identity, patriarchy, and power.
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Publications by Dina Bangdel
styles that are increasingly becoming the standard for tourist paintings. This paper
argues that tourist imaginings offer an alternative space for artistic creativity and innovation. I consider how traditional artists see themselves meeting the expectations of tourists, by constructing categories of the aesthetic tastes of the “other,” based on specific national identities in a global context. This imagining then becomes critical to the marketing/packaging of the
commodities as it underscores how these new iconographies are interpreted and sold as continuities of the traditional works of art. As a tourist commodity, these cultural productions, their negotiations with local reception and global consumption provide alternative frameworks to contextualize paradoxical definitions of authenticity, tradition, and innovation.
Cet article s’intéresse au phénomène de l’art touristique comme une production de récits d’imaginaire culturel, et plus particulièrement une construction d’identité et de sens au travers de la marchandisation de l’art « ethnique ». Cette quête d’une « authenticité » imaginée a donné naissance à une nouvelle iconographie et à des styles non traditionnels devenus des standards des peintures pour touristes. Cet article défend l’idée que l’imaginaire touristique est un espace
alternatif propice à la créativité et à l’innovation artistique. Il montre comment les artistes traditionnels répondent aux attentes des touristes, catégorisant le goût des autres à partir d’identités nationales construites dans un contexte de globalisation. Cet imaginaire est essentiel dans les processus de marchandisation et de « packaging » de ces biens en permettant à ces nouvelles iconographies d’être vendues et interprétées en continuité avec les oeuvres d’art traditionnel. Ces productions culturelles et, en tant que produits pour touristes, leur négociation entre échanges locaux et consommation mondialisée, offrent un cadre contextualisé de réflexion sur les définitions paradoxales de l'authenticité, de la tradition et de l'innovation.
Articles/Book Chapters by Dina Bangdel
Using Nepal as a case study, this article explores the phenomena of tourist art as narratives of cultural imaginings, specifically the constructions of identity and meaning through the production and marketing of “ethnic” art. This demand on the imagined “authentic” has given rise to new iconographies and non-traditional artistic styles that are increasingly becoming the standard for tourist art. Based on field interviews of the artists, middleman agents, and consumer tourists in the Kathmandu Valley, this paper argues that touristic experiences offer a space for the defining of artistic creativity. As a tourist commodity, these cultural productions, their negotiations with local reception and global consumption may offer a framework to understand the construction of paradoxical definition of artistic authenticity, aesthetics, and innovation.
Keywords
Nepal, traditional crafts, tourist art, authenticity, souvenirs, Newar art
Conference Presentations/Abstracts by Dina Bangdel
theory and activism that reaches beyond the hegemonic boundaries of the East/West binaries. Specifically my discussion explores women’s performance art
in South Asia as a discursive platform to transcend the structures of patriarchy that have so centrally defined women’s cultural, historical and political past.
Reading through the lens of feminist theory, I consider the distinctive conceptions of performance art by two contemporary South Asian women artists—Ashmina
Ranjit from Nepal and Aisha Khalid from Pakistan—that collectively speak of women’s experiences centering around their gendered identities of self, body politics, and sexuality. For these women’s artists, performance art becomes a
locus of gender discourse of identity, patriarchy, and power.
styles that are increasingly becoming the standard for tourist paintings. This paper
argues that tourist imaginings offer an alternative space for artistic creativity and innovation. I consider how traditional artists see themselves meeting the expectations of tourists, by constructing categories of the aesthetic tastes of the “other,” based on specific national identities in a global context. This imagining then becomes critical to the marketing/packaging of the
commodities as it underscores how these new iconographies are interpreted and sold as continuities of the traditional works of art. As a tourist commodity, these cultural productions, their negotiations with local reception and global consumption provide alternative frameworks to contextualize paradoxical definitions of authenticity, tradition, and innovation.
Cet article s’intéresse au phénomène de l’art touristique comme une production de récits d’imaginaire culturel, et plus particulièrement une construction d’identité et de sens au travers de la marchandisation de l’art « ethnique ». Cette quête d’une « authenticité » imaginée a donné naissance à une nouvelle iconographie et à des styles non traditionnels devenus des standards des peintures pour touristes. Cet article défend l’idée que l’imaginaire touristique est un espace
alternatif propice à la créativité et à l’innovation artistique. Il montre comment les artistes traditionnels répondent aux attentes des touristes, catégorisant le goût des autres à partir d’identités nationales construites dans un contexte de globalisation. Cet imaginaire est essentiel dans les processus de marchandisation et de « packaging » de ces biens en permettant à ces nouvelles iconographies d’être vendues et interprétées en continuité avec les oeuvres d’art traditionnel. Ces productions culturelles et, en tant que produits pour touristes, leur négociation entre échanges locaux et consommation mondialisée, offrent un cadre contextualisé de réflexion sur les définitions paradoxales de l'authenticité, de la tradition et de l'innovation.
Using Nepal as a case study, this article explores the phenomena of tourist art as narratives of cultural imaginings, specifically the constructions of identity and meaning through the production and marketing of “ethnic” art. This demand on the imagined “authentic” has given rise to new iconographies and non-traditional artistic styles that are increasingly becoming the standard for tourist art. Based on field interviews of the artists, middleman agents, and consumer tourists in the Kathmandu Valley, this paper argues that touristic experiences offer a space for the defining of artistic creativity. As a tourist commodity, these cultural productions, their negotiations with local reception and global consumption may offer a framework to understand the construction of paradoxical definition of artistic authenticity, aesthetics, and innovation.
Keywords
Nepal, traditional crafts, tourist art, authenticity, souvenirs, Newar art
theory and activism that reaches beyond the hegemonic boundaries of the East/West binaries. Specifically my discussion explores women’s performance art
in South Asia as a discursive platform to transcend the structures of patriarchy that have so centrally defined women’s cultural, historical and political past.
Reading through the lens of feminist theory, I consider the distinctive conceptions of performance art by two contemporary South Asian women artists—Ashmina
Ranjit from Nepal and Aisha Khalid from Pakistan—that collectively speak of women’s experiences centering around their gendered identities of self, body politics, and sexuality. For these women’s artists, performance art becomes a
locus of gender discourse of identity, patriarchy, and power.
Centre-stage of the book are the photographs, interviews and an installation of artist Sanjeev Maharjan. They are discussed as a careful reflection of those weeks and months after the earthquake hit, but beyond that also invite us to address the broader context of art’s role in society, and of an urbanising world in flux. Lastly, the different views in this book also facilitate the ‘breaking’ of dominant narratives of catastrophe that often overshadow individual experiences by means of heightened sensationalism.