Triumphant Skywalker

Tsherin Sherpa was born in 1968 in Kathmandu, Nepal, and currently lives and works between California and Kathmandu. At the age of twelve, he began training under his father, the renowned thangka master Urgen Dorje Sherpa, studying the techniques and iconography of traditional Tibetan Buddhist painting. From 1988 to 1992, Sherpa studied computer science and Chinese language in Taiwan, where he developed a lasting emotional connection to the country. Upon returning to Nepal in 1993, he collaborated with his father on numerous significant projects, including thangka paintings and temple murals. In 1998, Sherpa immigrated to California, where he began to explore his own artistic voice—reimagining traditional Tibetan Buddhist motifs, symbols, colors, and gestures, and transforming them into a contemporary visual language. He is now recognized as one of the most prominent contemporary Himalayan artists on the global stage. In 2022, Tsherin Sherpa represented Nepal at the 59th Venice Biennale with his solo presentation “Stories of a Silent Soul – Threads of Dispersion – Distorted Shangri-La”. This not only marked a milestone in his personal artistic career but also carried historic significance as Nepal’s first-ever participation in the Venice Biennale with a national pavilion. Sherpa has held three solo presentations at Art Basel Hong Kong, and in 2024 was invited to present a monumental ten-meter-tall installation, “Stairways to Heaven”, in the fair’s Public Art Sector, becoming one of the event’s most acclaimed highlights. His works have been widely exhibited and collected by major international museums and private collectors around the world. Notable solo museum exhibitions include “Tsherin Sherpa: Different Worlds” (Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, USA, 2024); the retrospective “Tsherin Sherpa: Spirits” (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 2022); exhibitions at the Peabody Essex Museum (2023) and Asia Society Texas (2023). He has also participated in numerous biennales and triennales, including the Chiang Mai Biennale (2023), Yokohama Triennale (2020), Yinchuan Biennale (2018), Kathmandu Triennale (2017), 8th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (2015), and the Dhaka Art Summit (2014). In 2023, the Asia Society New York honored Sherpa with the Asia Arts Game Changer Award, recognizing his outstanding contribution to contemporary art. As one of Nepal’s most representative artists, Sherpa often collaborates with Nepal’s finest traditional artisans in the creation of his works, preserving ancient craft techniques while simultaneously elevating the social status of these craftspeople through international exposure. He is also the founder of Takpa Gallery and the non-profit organization Himalayan Art Initiative in Kathmandu, both dedicated to fostering the development of Nepalese art—traditional and contemporary alike. Through these initiatives, Sherpa shares his knowledge and experience generously with younger artists, helping to transform Nepal’s art ecosystem and enhance the global visibility of Nepalese contemporary art. Currently, Tsherin Sherpa’s solo exhibition “Tsherin Sherpa: Cosmos and Identities” is on view at the Tainan Art Museum, Building 2, as part of “Labyrinthus Universi: Himalayan Contemporary Art”, showcasing his profound reflections on cultural identity and spirituality. In 2026, he will present a solo exhibition at the Honolulu Museum of Art, followed by a major career retrospective at the Seattle Art Museum in 2027, further expanding his influence in the international art world.