New work and connections to Hawai‘i
Sherpa created two new works just for this exhibition. One of them, a painting called The Portrait of Spirits, “is inspired by the fact that this exhibition is taking place in Hawai‘i,” says Sherpa. “I feel the commonality between Hawaiian ancestral culture and the Himalayan culture is that they involve a deep connection to nature and spirits, with traditional figures representing the forces of nature.”

Also in the exhibition is an area where visitors can reflect on the universal themes explored in Sherpa’s work—belonging, transformation and continuity—and how they connect to their own lives. Guests are invited to write their reflections on cards and hang them on a line, similar to prayer flags found throughout the Himalayas.

“Sherpa’s reinvention of traditional Himalayan Buddhist art, and the ways in which he draws from his cultural background to speak to global contemporary issues, makes his artworks especially fascinating from the perspective of traditional Asian art. At the same time, they have an immediacy that will be accessible to everyone,” says Shawn Eichman, HoMA’s curator of Asian art and co-curator of Divine Disruption.

A contemporary vision rooted in an ancient tradition
Born in Kathmandu, Nepal, in 1968 to a Tibetan father and Nepalese mother, Tsherin Sherpa was raised in a culturally and spiritually rich home. His father, Urgen Dorje, was among Nepal’s most respected traditional Buddhist painters, and Sherpa was trained in the exacting iconography of Himalayan thangka painting. Yet from an early age, Sherpa was also immersed in Kathmandu’s international atmosphere, exposed not only to centuries-old Buddhist culture but also to the growing influx of global seekers, pop aesthetics, mass-produced sacred images, Indian cinema posters, and comic-book heroes. These converging influences formed the foundation of an artistic sensibility that would later blossom into a bold and original reimagining of Himalayan visual culture for the 21st century.

Sherpa’s personal journey—from Nepal to Taiwan to California—profoundly shapes his work. After initially leaving the traditional art world to study computer science, he returned to painting while living as an immigrant in the United States. Grappling with dislocation, cultural fluidity, and the search for belonging, Sherpa began weaving pop-culture references, news media imagery, and the emotional realities of migration into the established visual language of Himalayan Buddhist art.

Works such as Blue Spirit exemplify this striking fusion. A wrathful Bodhisattva—traditionally a guardian and guide—appears wearing a crown of skulls symbolizing impermanence while surrounded by silhouettes inspired by radio reports of global conflict: soldiers confronting demonstrators, a photojournalist documenting a Buddha, an oil tower looming across the scene. The deity’s tightly shut eyes and peace-sign gesture encapsulate the tension between spiritual ideals and worldly turmoil. In Sherpa’s hands, these figures become mirrors for the immigrant experience—resilient, adaptive “spiritual warriors” navigating disruption with hope, resourcefulness, and inner strength. Their struggles and triumphs echo those of displaced communities worldwide.

PROGRAMS

In Conversation: Tsherin Sherpa
May 30, 2-3:30 p.m., Doris Duke Theatre
Included with general admission, registration required, tickets at honolulumuseum.org/events   Artist Tsherin Sherpa, curator of Asian art Shawn Eichman, and senior curator of modern and contemporary art Tyler Cann discuss the exhibition, the artist’s early training, navigating new cultures, and the impact events such as the devastating 2015 Nepal earthquake have had on his art.

Gallery Talk 
Divine Disruption: The Art of Tsherin Sherpa 
July 10, 7-8pm, Galleries 12, 13, 14 
Included with general admission, registration required, tickets at honolulumuseum.org/events   
Explore the world of Nepalese artist Tsherin Sherpa as Curator of Asian Art Shawn Eichman takes you on an inspiring journey through the exhibition Divine Disruption: The Art of Tsherin Sherpa. Inspired by Himalayan Buddhist traditions, pop culture, and important contemporary issues, Sherpa’s work is rich in meaning and references.

Divine Disruption: Curating the Art of Tsherin Sherpa
Aug. 21, 7-8:30 p.m., Doris Duke Theatre
Included with general admission, registration required, tickets at honolulumuseum.org/events   
John Henry Rice, the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter curator of South Asian and Islamic art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, joins HoMA curator of Asia art Shawn Eichman to discuss the exhibition Divine Disruption: The Art of Tsherin Sherpa. Rice is the leading scholar on Tsherin Sherpa’s work and he will share insights on the artist’s unorthodox practice that explores contemporary social issues of migration and globalization through the lens of personal experience, natural disaster, and the influence of his early training in traditional Himalayan Buddhist painting. Rice, a noted specialist in medieval and early modern South Indian art and architecture curated the acclaimed exhibition Tsherin Sherpa: Spirits, the artist’s first solo museum exhibition, at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 2022.

About the artist
Tsherin Sherpa (b. 1968, Kathmandu) is internationally celebrated for transforming the visual language of Himalayan art to address the complexities of modern life. His work has been featured in global exhibitions and major institutions, including the Venice Biennale, and is recognized for its profound blend of tradition, innovation, and emotional resonance.

Exhibition organization and funding
Divine Disruption: The Art of Tsherin Sherpa is organized by the Honolulu Museum of Art and the Seattle Art Museum.

National support for this for this exhibition has been provided by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.

The Honolulu Museum of Art presentation of this exhibition is provided by Sharon Twigg-Smith, the Vilcek Foundation, and Ruedi Thoeni and David Franklin.

​​The Honolulu Museum of Art is Hawai‘i’s premier art institution, inspiring and uplifting the community through transformative art experiences. Founded in 1927 to reflect Hawai‘i’s multicultural makeup, today HoMA’s extraordinary collection of more than 55,000 works of art from across the globe spans 5,000 years.