image0051An art festival, dubbed International Watercolour Festival 2016, kicked off in the Capital on Friday with the showcasing of artworks by 220 artists. The fest, organised by the International Watercolour Society-Nepal, will feature 65 local and 155 international artists representing countries including the USA, China, India, Russia and South Korea. The week-long festival will see an exhibition at the premises of the Nepal Art Council (NAC) in Babar Mahal, an art demonstration programme and an ‘open air’ workshop in Ghandruk, Kaski.  “Numerous cultural organisations and Nepali art foundations have helped in making this event a success. There is not much appreciation of Nepali arts in the global market and nor are there proper organisations who have taken up the mantel of promoting Nepali art seriously,” the organisers said, releasing a statement during the opening, “This watercolour festival hopes to successfully introduce Nepali art in the international market.” International Watercolour Society, which boasts a membership of 80 countries, is an organisation that seeks to promote artist from around the globe. The organisation has been conducting and organising various charity art shows in Nepal for the past months to promote artists and collect funds to further art programs.  Works of various Nepali artists are slated to be displayed during the week-long exhibition at the NAC, including Madan Chitrakar, KK Karmacharya, NB Gurung, Binod Gupta and Surya Baraili. The festival will continue through November 25.