HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A new exhibit featuring the paintings and sculptures of Nepalese artist Tsherin Sherpa opens this weekend at the Honolulu Museum of Art.
The exhibit, called “Divine Disruption,†blends religion with modern politics and contemporary issues, Sherpa said.
Sherpa said he chose the name because his work is rooted in the ancient tradition of Buddhist thangka art.
“All of these paintings are tools for meditation to remove obstacles,†Sherpa said. “It's very much to do with religion and Buddhism. That was the tradition I was trained in.â€
Growing up in Nepal, Sherpa said there weren't many museums or art galleries, which limited the scope of his artistry.
After leaving Nepal, Sherpa said he began experimenting with a more progressive approach to his work.
“Once I got to understand and see different art and different traditions and art history, it gave me the inspiration to explore something beyond the religious subject matter,†Sherpa said.
Sherpa said the “disruption†in the exhibit's title reflects his shift toward a broader concept of art after leaving Nepal.
He studied computer science in Taiwan and later moved to California, where thangka, American pop culture and comic books fused into his artwork.
Sherpa returned to Nepal in 2015 following earthquakes that killed close to 9,000 people. He said he created a sculpture after seeing the damage.
“It was kind of a memory of the earthquake at that time,†Sherpa said. “When I saw all of these monasteries dilapidated, broken, destructed fragments, I felt maybe by putting them together, something new will be born, something hopeful.â€
The museum is also highlighting Sherpa's “Portrait of Spirits†piece, which the artist said was inspired by the islands of Hawaii and its people.
Sherpa said both Hawaiian and Himalayan culture, in his words, “involves a deep connection of nature and spirits with traditional figures representing the forces of nature.â€
Tyler Cann, senior curator of modern art at the museum, said the exhibit captures Sherpa's evolution as an artist.
“This is an exhibition that is about one person's journey,†Cann said. “This is Tsherin Sherpa's journey as an artist, and I think we can learn a lot from it.â€
“Divine Disruption†will be featured at the Honolulu Museum of Art through the end of the year.
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