Mural Art Residency: Learning From Khokana

For the months of January and February 2025, two Nepali artists Hitesh Vaidya and Sujit Maharjan stayed in Khokana as part of the residency project “Mural Art Residency: Learning From Khokana”, engaging deeply with the community and its rich history through research, observation, and creative collaboration.

As part of their engagement, they conceptualized and led an art workshop with students from Shree Rudrayani Secondary School. They immersed themselves in Khokana’s rich culture by listening to oral histories and stories shared by the local Aama Samuha from Dhokashi and Gabu.

In a series of sessions, the artists explored with the women, their memories of Khokana, their deep relationship with the land as farmers and personal anecdotes about family and daily life.

The women were encouraged to consider objects that held special meaning for them – items from daily life, significant occasions, or those they wished to pass down to future generations. Together they visualized these objects on a large piece of locally handwoven cloth. As they sketched and shared, conversations flowed, weaving together, personal histories, and collective memories.

As part of the residency program, the resident artists designed and led a 5 days mural painting workshop with students from Grade 6 to 9 at Shree Rudrayani Secondary School, Khokana.

The students who participated were from diverse ethnic backgrounds, both locals from Khokana, who have been here for generations, as well as those whose families have migrated to the area. Through this workshop, they explored the rich, tangible and intangible, cultural heritage of Khokana guided by the school principal Krishna Bhakta Maharjan Sir. This collaborative effort, not only fostered artistic skills, but also strengthened their connection to the cultural identity of Khokana.