Tuesday, December 23, 1997

Paintings with a difference on display

The Kathmandu Post [1997-12-23]
Razen Manandhar

Jaco’s 10 etchings are brought for the collection. Comparatively smaller in
size, his prints are of some that vary in nature from one another. Giving a
faint image of human figures, he has allowed the shapes to hypnotise the
audience with diversity of stretches and distractions-making us aware how
fragile human beings are.

Influenced by his artist mother, Jaco taught handicraft and then turned to
arts school in Rotterdam. He is a sculptor who does etching as well as
sculpturing side by side, and says both are strongly related and belong to
each other. The prints are made of sculptures but those are not replicas, but
just a kind of experiment as he says-bringing about forms, stretching on the
paper.

Generally artists do not prefer graphic designs for each copy varies in
colour and the audience cannot buy anything original. There is a big
possibility that the result may not be what the artist really wants to produce.

However, Jaco takes as minutely and says, “Everybody can buy it; though
paintings are basically for rich people”.

The 37 years old Jaco, who has resumed several exhibitions, aims at
making the people aware of things happening in the world through his work.

Living in a crowded city he made up his mind that the world cannot go on
like this-lots of aggression and violence. Furthermore, working for four
hours daily in a hospital, he has seen many people sick and dying which has
made him aware of vulnerability of human beings-anything can happen; life
is short. “I want to show that though people have never had as much money
as they desire, there is another world where people tend to help the needy”.

He considers himself to be quite pessimistic about the duties of an artist but
says that an artist should be creative "I want people to enjoy". You cannot
please everybody. Only a small group like my work and that is enough.