July 23, Lalitpur
Gallery Mcube has presented the Mcube Young Artists Show 2026, bringing together works by 10 emerging artists whose practices engage with themes ranging from gender, identity and memory to urbanisation, indigenous histories and environmental change. Curated by multidisciplinary artist and curator Manish Lal Shrestha, the annual exhibition aims to provide a platform for young contemporary artists to engage with the public and Nepal’s broader art community.
The exhibition features works by Amisha KC, Amisha Maharjan, Kripa Shakya, Kritika Manandhar, Rujan Maharjan, Saijal Sthapit, Sharmila Devi Tamang, Smarika Maharjan, Sonam Chamling Rai and Spandan Pyakurel (KEKI), employing media such as painting, installation, drawing, photography, performance, video and mixed media. According to the gallery, the exhibition reflects the diversity of contemporary artistic practices among Nepal’s younger generation.
Curator Shrestha said the exhibition seeks to nurture new artistic voices while creating opportunities for dialogue between emerging artists and the wider art community. He noted that each participant presents a distinct visual language shaped by personal experiences as well as broader social realities.
Many of the featured works examine pressing social and cultural issues. Amisha KC’s oil paintings question the objectification of women and the role of the viewer’s gaze, while Amisha Maharjan’s installation Uprooted reflects on the disappearance of agricultural land and the social consequences of rapid urbanisation. Kripa Shakya explores the significance of everyday rituals through fabric and thread, and Kritika Manandhar’s performance installation To Inherit investigates maternal lineage and inherited memory.
Other artists draw inspiration from cultural traditions and environmental concerns. Rujan Maharjan revisits the Newa festival Sithi Nakha through terracotta reliefs inspired by Paubha and Thangka symbolism, while Sharmila Devi Tamang documents birds adapting to Kathmandu’s urban landscape through photography. Saijal Sthapit’s paintings use fish as metaphors for memory and desire, and Smarika Maharjan’s performance work examines grief as an evolving emotional process.
The exhibition also highlights issues of migration and indigenous identity. Sonam Chamling Rai explores intergenerational displacement and the preservation of indigenous cultural memory through two projects centred on migration and the traditional Dangam bamboo jaw harp. Meanwhile, Spandan Pyakurel’s surreal paintings reflect on family, travel and inherited memories rooted in childhood journeys to his ancestral home.
Gallery Mcube said the annual exhibition continues its long-running commitment to supporting emerging artists through exhibitions, educational programmes, residencies and international collaborations. Established in 2011, the gallery says it has sought to strengthen Nepal’s contemporary art scene by fostering dialogue between established and emerging practitioners.
The exhibition continues till July 31.
