Myth & Memory - Solo Exhibition by Bivas Rai

AHF and Siddhartha Art Gallery invite you to 'Myth & Memory', an exhibition of paintings by Bivas Rai, recipient of the 2025 AHF Himalayan Art Award.

Myth & Memory explores the living, shifting inheritance of Kirati Rai culture through the sacred, nature-honouring Sakela festival. Merging past and present, Bivas paints dancers in modern streetwear, mid-movement alongside the animals and flowers that inspire each silli (dance step). Grounded in themes of sisterhood and matriarchy, every painting features one of the artist's sisters, connecting his lived family bonds directly to the ancestral myth still being recounted and remembered in real time.

“Indigenous history is primarily passed down in the form of stories from one generation to the next, I am now keen to explore and document these stories while making them accessible to our generation. My world has been shaped entirely by the strength and presence of my mother, her sisters, and my own sisters. This series is a homage to that ancient bond, mirrored by the real-world love and shared history of the women I grew up with.”

Experience this intimate and quietly mythic collection at Siddhartha Art Gallery in Kathmandu from August 28th to September 20th.

The exhibition will be opened on August 28 at 5:30pm by His Excellency Simon Ernst, Australian Ambassador to Nepal, Garry Weare, AHF Chair, and Margie Thomas, AHF Himalayan Art Award Founder. We invite you to come along and check out Bivas' exhibition if you are in Kathmandu.