Mukesh Shrestha

Mukesh Shrestha studied at Banaras Hindu University, India, and earned a Master in Fine Arts (MFA) in Painting with Gold Medal in 2008 A.D. He was honoured with the most prestigious “National Fine Art Award” in Contemporary Painting in 2012 by Nepal Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), “Patterns Breakers Award” by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark in 2016, “Keshava Duvadi Fine Art Youth Award” in 2018, “Hem Ganga Youth Art Award” in 2018, “Merit Award” (Golden Prize) by International Contemporary Art, Italy in 2019 along with other several prizes. His paintings have been exhibited in six solo exhibitions in Nepal and abroad. He has taken part in more than 70 group art exhibitions and art workshops, symposiums, and seminars within the country and beyond. He was selected as a Judge in dozens of national-level art competitions.

Mukesh finds inspiration in his socio-political issues and also his works are deeply inspired by the culture and tradition of his country. His chosen forms essentially include and have distorted human forms- limited to one or two; apparently, he uses these forms to express his responses-common human emotion to the ongoing socio-political anomalies found in the present-day society.

Mukesh Shrestha brings positive vibes through love, compassion and spirituality. The human relationship provides relief from loneliness and melancholy. Compassion, kindness, care and love are such matters that we find at our home and immediate surroundings. They have a lyrical language of colors and shapes that originate at our heart and directly glides to the other's heart without hindrance.  The rapture of life is perceived through the emotional assimilation of two hearts. This is the union of the self and the other. This is the unique aspect of life that makes it worth living in spite of the multiple pains and sufferings. When these two aspects become one, the conflict and contradictions are resolved to provide a stable relish. Instead of a superficial veil and decoration, Shrestha reduces the colors and shapes to their essence presenting the underlined structures of the works. This adds to the clarity of aesthetic communication. Of course, we have feelings of love and compassion, but his works make this experience more intensive leading us to the extreme. On the other hand, his spiritual works convey the same rapture and relish through the union of the self and the cosmos, the spirit and the matter, the individual soul and universal spirit by representing the divinity at the centre of the canvas. The structure and the divinity in the canvas create a meditative mood in the viewers. The background creates a primitive and pristine ambiance for concentration. Following the path of love and compassion, his works attempt to explore the self and the world around.