‘Art should rise above the personal’

Known for using books from second-hand bookstores to create art, Youdhisthir Maharjan talks about his first exhibition, his artistic methods, and why he thinks art should be universal.

In 2003, a 19-year-old artist with hopes in his eyes and familial disapproval at the back of his mind conducted his first solo exhibition at Shangri-La Hotel in Kathmandu. Titled ‘Gifts of Our Ancestors’, the exhibition was a prelude to a rise of a distinct artistic style of the artist, Youdhisthir Maharjan .