Manish Lal Shrestha is a multidisciplinary contemporary artist and curator based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Working across performance, installation, painting, and conceptual practice, he has developed a distinct visual language shaped by material experimentation and the urban experience of the city around him.

A graduate of Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai University, Shrestha belongs to an important generation in Nepal’s contemporary art history. Over more than two decades, his practice has helped expand the scope of visual art in Nepal, moving across mediums while remaining grounded in observation, context, and process.

His work has been presented through solo exhibitions, public projects, and major international platforms. Among the most notable are Kathmandu Triennale 2017, Busan Biennale Sea Art Festival 2019, Today Art Museum in Beijing, and Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York and Wrightwood 659 in Chicago.

Alongside his studio practice, Manish Lal Shrestha has played a significant role in shaping Nepal’s contemporary art ecosystem. As Founder Director and Curator of Gallery Mcube in Lalitpur, he has supported exhibitions, residencies, and exchange programs that bring together artists, ideas, and wider forms of dialogue.

His curatorial work reflects the same commitment to experimentation and contemporary discourse that defines his artistic practice. Through projects in Nepal and abroad, he has contributed to building platforms for both emerging and established artists while helping strengthen Nepal’s presence within the wider international art landscape.

Across both art-making and curating, Manish Lal Shrestha’s work continues to hold an important place in contemporary Himalayan art. His practice is marked by range, clarity, and a sustained engagement with space, material, and the evolving cultural life of the region.

Educational Background:

• BFA, Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai University, Mumbai, 2001

Selected Solo Exhibitions:

• The Thread Project, Gallery Mcube, 2025
• Borderless Border, NY20+ Artist in Residency Exhibition, Chengdu, China, 2024
• Project 1336, Patan Durbar Square, Nepal, 2024
• Project 1336, Taragaon Museum, Nepal, 2019
• Seto Chapal | The White Slippers, Kathmandu, Nepal, 2018
• Sirani: The Headrest, Siddhartha Art Gallery, Kathmandu, Nepal, 2018
• Tapestry Project, Waley Art, Taipei, Taiwan, 2017
• Project 1136, Kathmandu Triennale, Nepal Art Council, 2017

Selected Group Exhibitions:

• Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now, Wrightwood 659, Chicago, 2024–2025
• Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2024
• Himalayan Art Festival, Nepal Art Council, 2018–2025
• A Stitch in Time, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China, 2019
• Busan Biennale Sea Art Festival, Busan, South Korea, 2019
• Kathmandu International Performance Festival, 2019
• Kathmandu Triennale, Nepal Art Council, 2017
• Arts of Nepal, The Art Center Highland Park, Illinois, USA, 2012

Selected Residencies and Workshops:

• RAI 2025, Pahang, Malaysia
• Kathmandu International Art Festival, Taragaon Next, Nepal, 2024
• Trans Studio Project 4.0, Bikalpa Art Center, 2019
• Urban Implosion, ACC Arts Space Network, Gwangju, Korea, 2017
• Artist in Residence and Exchange Program, Waley Art, Taipei, Taiwan, 2017
• Artist in Residence, Changdong Artist Studio, MMCA, South Korea, 2014
• VASL Artist Residency, Karachi, Pakistan, 2008

Selected Curatorial Projects:

• Retrospective Exhibition of Ragini Upadhyaya, Bihar Museum, Patna, India, 2025
• One World, International Print Exchange Program, IPEP India, 2022
• Re-Interpretation, The Nanee, Bhaktapur, Nepal, 2022
• National Exhibition of Fine Arts 2021, Nepal Academy of Fine Arts, Nepal
• First Yanjiao Biennale, China, 2020
• Made in Mind Series II, Experimental Video Art Project, Gallery Mcube, 2020
• AIR_MCUBE International Artists Residency, since 2011
• Himalayan Art Festival, Nepal Art Council, 2018

Awards:

• Australian Himalayan Art Award, 2018
• National Fine Art Award, Nepal Academy of Fine Arts, 2011
• 2nd Prize, 35th National Exhibition, NAFA, 2005
• 3rd Prize, 34th National Exhibition, NAFA, 2004
• 2nd Prize, Landscape Competition, Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai, 2000

Associated With:

• Founder Director, Gallery Mcube, Nepal
• Founder Director and Curator, AIR_MCUBE International Artists’ Residency Nepal
• Trustee, Sirjana College of Fine Arts, Kathmandu, Nepal

Collections:

• Works held in collections across Australia, Austria, Denmark, Canada, Croatia, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Malaysia, the Netherlands, France, the USA, the UK, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, India, and South Korea
• Private collections in Nepal and internationally

→ View Manish Lal Shrestha's Works