Artist of the Month - July 2021

A wide variety of artists have been recognized by Arts Council Menifee over the years and each of them have brought their own unique view on art in their respective mediums. The selection for July is a man who has become an increasingly large part of Menifee’s artistic community over the last couple of years; his work is bold, contemporary, and is a reflection of his unique experiences in culture and in life.

Subodh Ghimire was born and raised in Nepal and felt a pull towards the arts from a very early age. In fact, the artist can not remember a time in which art was not part of his life. One of his earliest memories of art was drawing a fox running away after visiting the cinema with his parents. It wasn’t long before those around him began to notice his talents and Subodh was even recognized for his artistic prowess by the Queen Mother of Nepal when the country was still a monarchy. 

After completing his school years, Subodh found himself pulled in a different direction and embraced the study of the sciences in his college career. After graduation Ghimire worked as a police officer in Nepal until he along with his wife and daughter chose to relocate to Virginia in June of 2016, a locale that the couple had visited on occasions and grew to be fond of.

Shortly before the time of his move, Subodh had an opportunity to showcase his art in an exhibition organized by The Lion’s Club International held in Southern France and was awarded Best in Show out of a group of 120 artists. It didn’t take long for the artist to do the same in his newfound homeland, Subodh also had a successful solo exhibition in The Focus Gallery in Washington D.C in January 2018.

Subodh and his family relocated to Menifee in August 2018, and he has been part of the artistic community ever since. He has had work featured in ACM art shows and can often be found volunteering or providing advice to local artists in the Arts Council Boutique located in The Sun City Plaza (come in on a Saturday for a better chance of catching the artist at work!).  When asked about his goals as an artist Ghimire had the following to say:

“It is my hope to increase the awareness and visibility of the contemporary arts in Menifee. We are not very far from LA, but much of the focus is on more traditional styles. Don’t get me wrong, I love them too, but contemporary art is my passion and I love sharing it whenever I get the opportunity.”

The colors and subjects of Subodh’s paintings are enough to generate interest on their own, but only become all the more intriguing after learning about what inspires much of his work. Like many artists, Subodh pulls from his life experiences for inspiration and growing up in Nepal gave the artist an opportunity to live in the country of Buddha and to see “the same moon that Buddha saw on the day of his birth”. Buddha was a common subject in some of his early work and his background and education in the sciences along with his Master’s degree in Conflict and Peace can also be seen in many of his other pieces.  

For example, Ghimire’s Ultra-Speed series depicts traditional Native American figures as the artist imagines they would look if they were able to travel faster than light. The result are dynamic pieces that present movement, brilliant use of colors, and dynamic focal points that provoke thought and encourage conversation.

Subodh concludes saying, “I’m creating perspective free artworks in the form of both paintings and installations. This could be a unique and new aesthetics in contemporary art.”

To view the work of Subodh Ghimire, visit the artists website at www.ghimireart.com or visit the Arts Council Menifee Boutique in The Sun City Plaza. 

Arts Council Menifee is happy to have Subodh Ghimire as part of its artistic community and is proud to recognize him as their official selection for Artist of the Month for July, 2021.