Kathmandu, 25 November: “Deities of Nepal” an art exhibition plus sales is being organized at Nepal Art Council on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Nepal Art Council and the 50th anniversary of the Nepal Handicraft Association. The exhibition is kicking off on 27 November and will continue till 11 December. The exhibition, jointly organised by Nepal Arts Council and Nepal Handicrafts Association, is sponsored by different organizations including the Indian Embassy, Nepal Tourism Board, Kathmandu Metropolis, Lalitpur Metropolis, Agni Group, Nepal Investment Bank Ltd, Daya Foundation, among others.  Sagar Shumsher Rana, acting chair of the Council, informed that traditional, contemporary and folk artworks of Hindu and Buddhist deities created by senior artists will be displayed in the exhibition.  Addressing a press conference organised on 24 November, Rana said that although we believe in God, we have little knowledge about religion. Therefore, the exhibition also aims to inform about the stories about the deities of Nepal.  Experts are scheduled to give lectures on iconographic expressions of deities in Nepal and India, at the Indian Embassy, Lainchour, on 28 and 29 November. Rana informed that due to the initiative taken by King Mahendra in preserving Nepali culture, art and handicraft, the Nepal Art Council was constituted in a public-private partnership model. The present government should also take the initiative to promote art and culture as these are valuable assets of our civilization.   Rana said that the exhibition aims at spreading public awareness about Nepali art culture. Rana said that Sattyamohan Joshi, who chaired the Council earlier to his demise, had played a dynamic role in the commercialisation of Nepali art and handicraft in the international market.  Swasti Rajbhandari, the curator of the exhibition, informed that there are 246 artworks by 163 artists nationwide on display.  Rajbhandari also informed that the Council is organizing a special visit programme of the chief executive officers of the corporate houses on Saturday, 26 November, as the interest of the business organizations has increased in artworks.  Prachanda Shakya, president, Nepal Handicraft Association, informed that the art exhibition will focus on the development of artworks in the country.  People’s News Monitoring Service