We’re involved in art and culture because we can’t help it

When Annette & Thomas Tingstrup started Tings Tea Lounge & Lounge Hotel in Kathmandu back in 2010 they found the local art scene exciting. But after a year in Kathmandu they found most of the art and culture events very boring.

Most of the art & cultural events that we have experienced in the years we’ve lived in Nepal have been money machines for the local organizers behind. Only on very few occasions have we witnessed new interesting art and culture, that thrills us. Otherwise there is always an organization and/or an Embassy involved who have another agenda compared to the involved artists.

To create and express their passions is far from the performing artists primary goal. To get fast access to the huge international culture funds is what most of are going for – in order to cover their materials. Where is the anger, the humor, the desperation, the sex and all the other feelings and emotions young artists around the world are dying to get out? We can’t see in the art! That’s why the Nepalese art scene is boring and predictable.

Instead of just doing nothing Annette and Thomas established the virtual and international Art Platform Art@Tings and got involved in the art scene.

That was back in 2010.

Today – more than 5 years later – Art@Tings’ have initiated & created, supported, funded and involved in other ways in more than 40 projects that span from traditional art exhibitions & art performances over poetry, Jazz & EDM to a wide range of creative workshops.

Their involvement is not limited to Nepal. Since At@Tings stated up they have worked internationally as well.

We both love art. And both of us have been involve in various art projects through our professional careers. But we are not art professionals.

We use our gut feeling and common sense and has a very basic and simple approach to the projects we choose.

Art@Tings approach is based on only 2 things.

First: The most important to them is something as banal as Talent.

For art lovers this probably sounds pretty obvious: If not talent, then what? But everybody who knows Nepal, where nepotism, corruption and an primeval cast system disadvantage and sometimes excludes persons, families and ethnic groups – we know, that talent is the least important in Nepal. That be in the business world as well as in the art world.

Second: The strategy they work from is equally banal. The call it the CCC strategy where the 3 Cs stands for Consequence, Consistence and unCompromising

Consequence: 100 % focus on art & artists that Annette & Thomas like themselves. and whom we are convinced has a chance internationally.
Consistence: Communication, networking, timing & planning are the 4 basic elements in all our projects.
unCompromising: Artists and their art are what matters. Commercial interests, cultural interests, diplomatic interests, iNGO/NGO Interests are not relevant. Its all in the artist’s eyes…