Nepali Sublime: Body in Translation, 2026

Colloquial Nepali phrases carry more than words; expressions such as “भइहाल्छ नि” and “के गर्नु त” embody ways of living with pressure and loss, where humor and fatigue inhabit the same utterance. After many years away from Nepal, I encounter these phrases again through their tone, hesitation, and repetition. They remain in the breath and in the things we touch, giving physical form to experiences language cannot entirely contain. Nepali Sublime: Body in Translation follows this movement from ordinary speech into objects and spatial relationships.

In Architecture of Breathing, a red balloon presses through the grilles of a steel house. The structure offers shelter while containing the breath swelling against its boundaries. In Weight of Breath, a stone presses upon a red balloon, bringing the fragility of a lung or body into contact with an inherited weight. These works belong to the anthology of visual and performative work that grew out of my research on Inherited Memory: On Ontology of Violence. In my work, I examine how violence persists in everyday life. Here, the sublime emerges within an ordinary phrase or a body striving to breathe under pressure. I am interested in the rhythm of that endurance and the memories it holds.

Neon sign in Devanagari script with a black background.
Art installation featuring red sports balls, a large rock, a white surface resembling snow, enclosed in a dark room with black walls and ceiling, and overhead lighting.
Display of red balls with geometric wire frames and a large rock on the right, on a reflective surface under a spotlight against a dark background.
Dark room with minimal lighting, decorated with red geometric paper models, some arranged on the floor and one on a rock, illuminated by a spotlight.
A red balloon sitting on a rocky surface with a dark background.
Neon sign in Devanagari script, illuminated in white, on a black background.
An art installation features a large red sphere inside a metal wireframe cube and an elongated red sculpture with textured bumps inside a glass display case, set on a white circular platform against a dark wall.
An art installation features a large red sphere inside a metal wireframe cube and an elongated red sculpture with textured bumps inside a glass display case, set on a white circular platform against a dark wall.
Exhibit with red spherical objects, a large rock, and a wire cage in a dimly lit room.
A neon sign with Devanagari text, lit in white against a dark background.
Two red sculptures resembling apples or tomatoes, encased in wireframe structures, displayed on a white circular rug in a dark room with ceiling lights
Two art installations of large red objects inside wireframe cages, one shaped like an egg and the other like a rectangular block, displayed on a white surface in a dark gallery setting.
Two red strawberries inside metal cages with a red sphere, all set on a white surface against a dark background.
Neon sign displaying the word 'Sorry' written in Hindi script, illuminated against a dark background.
Close-up of a red ball on a light-colored surface with a large rock and two red objects with black grid patterns in the background.
Red plastic air mattresses or flotation devices and a large rock on a snowy surface at night.
A red exercise ball resting against a large rock on a surface that appears to be snow or salt, with a dark background.
Dark exhibit with illuminated red geometric sculptures, including a large sphere, cube, and elongated shape, behind wireframe cages, with a person reaching towards the sculptures.
Neon sign in Hindi script that reads 'Kha Bunu!'. The sign is illuminated with white light against a black background.

Artwork documentation on this page: Bidhata KC and Pujan KC.