Milan Rai (artist)

Milan Rai (born 1984)[1] is a Nepalese contemporary visual artist, based in Kathmandu. Rai is most notable for his white butterfly project, which has been employed across the globe. The white butterflies have come to represent values such as hope, peace and harmony. Due to his work, he is often referred to as the "Butterfly Man".[2][3][4] Rai has since averted his focus to increasing urban greenery in Kathmandu.[5]

Life and work

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Rai has stated before that he was never really interested in conventional education.[6] As a result, he dropped out of high school at the age of fourteen after having changed schools multiple times. Rai then requited to his childhood passion which is to paint. Shortly afterwards, he entered an art competition after seeing an advertisement poster in his local art shop, which to his surprise, Rai won.[6] He then started exhibiting his artworks in art galleries. After initial commercial success, Rai questioned the integrity and motivation behind his work.[6] This led Rai to abstaining from exhibitions in Nepalese art galleries.[6] In order to make art more accessible to the general public in Kathmandu, Rai started placing white paper cut butterflies in public spaces in the city.[7] Rai's white butterflies have been utilised in 40 different countries for various reasons.[8][9] For this, he received the Harvard University (SAI) Visiting Artist Award (2016).[10] Rai is now primarily focused on landscape architecture in the Kathmandu valley.[11]

Rai is also known for his humanitarian work in Nepal. During the May 2015 Nepal earthquake, with the help from fifty volunteers, the Nepalese army and using funds from well-wishers, Rai and his team constructed 120 toilets in Kathmandu.[12][13][14]

References

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  1. ^ "Nepal Speakers Bureau |". test.nepalspeakers.com. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
  2. ^ "Meet the Man Behind the "White Butterflies" Flying Across the Globe". HuffPost. 2015-05-31. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
  3. ^ "'White Butterflies in Macau' rescheduled". Retrieved 2022-01-08.
  4. ^ Diwakar (2016-04-06). "Butterfly effect". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
  5. ^ Lama, Yangzum (2019-10-03). "Vrikshya: Creating Spaces for Nature, Community and Art | Blinc Ventures". Retrieved 2021-12-15.
  6. ^ a b c d "Conversations.org: A Conversation with Milan Rai, by Pavi Mehta, Richard Whittaker". www.conversations.org. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
  7. ^ Awakin.org. "Milan Rai | Awakin Call". www.awakin.org. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
  8. ^ Shrestha, Sahina. "The butterfly effect | Nepali Times Buzz | Nepali Times". archive.nepalitimes.com. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
  9. ^ "How Far Have Butterflies Flown?". mydreamsmagazine.com. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
  10. ^ "Visiting Artist Profile: Milan Rai • The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute". The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute. 2018-07-13. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
  11. ^ "Green Spaces: Frustrated nature lovers' effort to revive greenery in Kathmandu - OnlineKhabar English News". Retrieved 2021-12-15.
  12. ^ Furber, Sophia (2015-05-13). "Nepal earthquake victims given hope as artist's butterfly campaign raises vital funds for shelter and sanitation". mirror. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
  13. ^ Ekin, Annette. "Nepal quake disaster". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
  14. ^ Ekin, Annette. "Nepal quake disaster". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
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