British Ambassador to Nepal Nicola Pollitt inaugurated the solo art exhibition of artist Neera Joshi Pradhan at Siddhartha Art Gallery amid a function.

Cataloged by Pratima Pande on behalf of Nepal Britain Society, The Beauty of Nepal’s Flora is devoted to botanical paintings of Neera Joshi Pradhan.

Over 50 collections of botanical paintings were exhibited at the exhibition. Inaugurating the exhibition, British Ambassador Pollitt said that people-to-people relations between the United Kingdom and Nepal is deeply rooted.

In presence of over 50 people, the ambassador also keenly took a glance of the paintings exhibited at the gallery.

“It is my great pleasure to inaugurate The Beauty of Nepal Flora by the very talented and the only botanical illustrator of Nepal Neera Joshi Pradhan with Ambassador Nicola Pollitt at the Siddhartha Art Gallery,” said Pratima Pande, president of Nepal Britain Society.

“Artist Neera Joshi- the daughter of the celebrated artist late Ramananda Joshi. Though Neera did not receive formal academic training in the arts, her eventual journey to become an artist is an interesting one. Her art and botanical paintings which merge science and art are a visual tool to educate, conserve and research, the diversity and beauty of floras,” said Sangeeta Thapa, director of Siddharth Art Gallery.

“I would like to mention that the Siddhartha Art Gallery, the Siddhartha Arts Foundation, the Kathmandu Contemporary Art Center and the Kathmandu Triennale have received the generous patronage of both the British Embassy and the British Council and I look forward to continuing our enduring cultural relationship,” said Thapa. I would also like to share that my sister Pratima Pande and her family are collectors of Nepali art. They have also been supporters of the work that the Gallery has been doing over the years and have been patrons of the Kathmandu Triennale since 2009.”

“Today’s collection is just a tip-off the iceberg. Nepal is a paradise and popular for its natural resources, bio-diversity and green vegetation. We have more than 6000 flowering plants in Nepal,” said artist Joshi Pradhan.

“I had a great experience to work with scientists and professionals at the Gardens in the United Kingdom and Nepal too. I have put two native flowers Yellow Orchid, Sungava Dendrobium Densiflorum and Bergenia Ciliata called at PashanVed in the Nepali language put in this exhibition.”