Uma Shankar Shah

Uma Shankar Shah was born in 1965 A.D. in Loharpatti, Mahottrari, Janakpur. He did his B.F.A. and M.F.A. in painting from Banaras Hindu University, India. He is a Lecturer at Central Department of Fine Arts, T.U. He has done 15 solo shows in and out of the country. Besides this, he has participated in numerous group shows around the world. He is one of the finest printmakers we have in Nepal. Furthermore, he has been awarded with many prestigious awards in Nepal and abroad for his unparalleled contribution in painting and printmaking.

Active in art from above three decades, he incorporates cultural motifs and religious icons in his prints and paintings. His works seem like a space where light and shade are hiding and seeking the identity of the space where the artist is living in; i.e. the Kathmandu valley. And what get revealed are the vivid and manifold traditional cultures of Nepal, particularly that of the Kathmandu Valley. He is particularly skilled in arranging the bright compact space within the expansive dim atmosphere. This is quite often the color scheme of his works. However, the metaphors he regularly incorporates are the cultural and religious motifs. Lately, he is more occupied in printmaking and also motivates and encourages the younger generation to get involved in this genre.