Mainali’s sculptures, which predominantly feature buxom women with big hips and well-pronounced thighs, are not just an ode to the beauty inherent in the female form but also explore the idea of female energy. Thus, they sync well with the terracotta sculptures of fertility goddesses worshipped in various parts of the ancient world.

“Apart from dealing with the notion of fertility and female energy, I’ve also tried unifying different aspects of art, like shapes, line, mass, space and the effects of light in my sculptures,” said Mainali.

One of his sculptures has a woman taking off her t-shirt, her midriff stretched and in full view. Another sculpture confronts us with a slender body propped on large hips and thighs. And in yet another piece, the artist makes use of sharp, geometrical shapes in representing a woman’s body. Similarly, some of his sculptures also feature corrugated surfaces with ridges running in different directions, a result of his experimenting with different chemicals.

Mainali has a PhD in Modern Nepali Sculpture from Tribhuvan University and was also a recipient of the National Talent Award given by the Ministry of Culture in 2009.

The exhibition ends on December 14.