This work visualizes the transformation of the Kathmandu Valley as described in the Swayambhu Purana after Manjushri drains the primordial lake. The valley is reimagined as a vessel of abundance, where the self arisen flame of Swayambhu speaks to the richness and enduring fascination of our history and origin.

Primeval

This work from my cityscape series was created in 2022 and is an oil on canvas work. This is a depiction of the city of Kathmandu at night and uses expressionist motifs, placing key temples and buildings from the city in synchronisation with one another. The composition is my attempt to capture the thousands of stories within the architecture and heritage of the city that harmonise with each other

Cityscape VII

The Streets During Dashain — The festive time of Dashain - vendors selling rams and bucks (Chyangra, Khasi, and Boka), offerings, flowers, fruits, Kubindo, Wukhu and so on - transform the streets of Bhaktapur into a vibrant tapestry of communal harmony. The two paintings in the series are a depictions of that time, extracted from my memories of growing up in this city and how it continues on adapting with the changing times.

Street during Dashain - “कुबिन्डो साउनी”

This painting gathers fragments of lived spaces drawn from Kathmandu’s architectural heritage carved windows, doors, and ornamental motifs shaped by artisans whose presence remains visible through their work. Structured within a grid of boxes, the composition functions as a series of containers, holding traces that might otherwise fade into the background of everyday life. These forms are not presented as relics, but as enduring marks of human making. Each motif carries the imprint of the hand that shaped it, reflecting a tradition where craftsmanship gave meaning, beauty, and identity to the city. Yet, surrounded by these details daily, we often pass them without notice. The painting responds to this quiet disappearance by isolating and reframing these elements in contemporary visual language, allowing them to be seen again with intention. By containing these architectural fragments within defined spaces, the work acknowledges the accumulation of cultural memory embedded in the urban landscape. Imprints of Forgotten Hands is both an act of preservation and recognition drawing attention to the makers behind the material fabric of the city, and inviting a moment of pause to witness what has long existed in plain sight.

Results for "cultural"

Primeval

Cityscape VII

Street during Dashain - “कुबिन्डो साउनी”

Imprints of forgotten hands (बिर्सिएका हातका छापहरू)