Youdhisthir Maharjan’s (b. 1984) creates artworks deeply rooted in language, blending reclaimed materials and text through a labor-intensive, repetitive, and autopoietic process to generate new meanings. Inspired by Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot—a play without a definitive beginning or end—Maharjan grappled with its cyclical, unresolved narrative. Drawing from his Buddhist and Hindu sensibilities, he likened this repetition to the endless cycles of rebirth and reincarnation, a journey with neither a starting point nor a conclusion. This sense of futility became the cornerstone of his artistic practice, expressed through acts of cutting, erasing, painting, burning, and weaving.
Maharjan's fascination with language can be traced to his undergraduate studies in creative and experimental writing, during which he often scavenged thrift stores for books—not just to read but to engage with as objects of subconscious exploration. These texts eventually found their way onto his printing press, where the act of repeated printing stripped language of its inherent meaning. Words dissolved into abstract forms, transcending the constraints of language to become universally resonant. He began his journey in the arts with a B.A. in Creative Writing & Art History from the New England College, New Hampshire (USA) and went on to pursue his M.F.A. at the University of Idaho in 2012.
Maharjan has had a rich and dynamic career with notable exhibitions. His recent solo exhibitions include Art Dubai (2023), Tender is the Night at Aicon, New York (2021), Toils of Delight at the Frank Museum of Art, Otterbein University, Ohio (2020), A Thread of Truth at Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi (2019), and An Unquiet Mind at Tarq, Mumbai (2018). Two/three-person exhibitions include The (Pro)found Object at Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi (2021), The Power of Intention: Reinventing the (Prayer) Wheel at the Rubin Museum of Art, New York (2019), Himalayan Contemporary at Desai/Matta Gallery, San Francisco (2018), and In Letter and Spirit at Tarq, Mumbai (2016).
Group exhibitions in recent years include Lost in Translation at Threshold Gallery, New Delhi (2025), Delicately Does It at Aicon, New York (2024), In the Night at Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art, Riyadh (2024), Simulacrum at Anant Art, New Delhi (2022), Spiralling into the Absurd at Anant Art, New Delhi (2021), Words Without Form at Aicon, New York (2020), A Language of Form at Exhibit320, New Delhi (2019), and The Edge at Shrine Empire Gallery, New Delhi (2018). Earlier group exhibitions include Deep Cuts; Contemporary Paper Cutting at Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH (2017), Reading Room at Saffronart, New York (2016), and Emerging Talent at Seraphin Gallery, Philadelphia (2016).
The artist has also participated in significant biennales and art fairs, including Art Dubai (2023), Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa, India (2019), Delhi Contemporary Art Week (2018, 2023), Kathmandu Triennale (2017, 2021), and India Art Fair (2016–2023). His work is part of esteemed collections, including the Devi Art Foundation, New Delhi; Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi; The Gujral Foundation, New Delhi; Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai; SAMoCA in Riyadh; Otterbein University in Ohio, and private collections worldwide.
He lives and works from Boston, USA.
Youdhisthir Maharjan
Selected Exhibitions:
In the Night, Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art (SAMoCA - 2024)
Serendipity Arts Festival, Goa (2023)
Art Dubai, Solo Booth (2023)
Publications:
Platform Magazine
Stir World
Asympote
Victoria Sarah
All These Things, Scrapped Reclaimed Text, 20.3 cm x 12.7 cm, 2016
Youdhisthir Maharjan
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An Experience in Cosmic Consciousness, Acrylic and Hand-cut text collage on deacidified book-pages, 38.7 cm x 23.5 cm, 2019
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Beyond Stories (2 pages), Crocheted strips of reclaimed book pages, 29 cm x 39 cm x 5 cm, 2020
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Center of Everything, Hand-cut text collage on reclaimed, deacidified book-pages, 23 cm x 27 cm, 2020
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Everything Nothing, Hand-cut text collage on reclaimed book pages, 35 cm x 21.5 cm x 5cm, 2020
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From Small Beginnings, Hand-cut text collage on deacidified book-pages, 19.6 cm x 24.7 cm, 2019
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Grandmas Tale, Hand-woven strips of reclaimed book-pages, 20 cm x 23 cm x 2.5 cm, 2020
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Into Tibet, Reclaimed text cutout collage, 21.6 cm x 34.3 cm, 2018
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Life after Life, Hand-cut text collage on reclaimed deacidified book-pages (set of 12), 21 cm x 14 cm each, 2020
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Lonely planet, Shredded text on deacidified reclaimed book pages, 23.5 cm x 15 cm, 2018
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Love Defined, Acrylic and ink on reclaimed book page, 21 cm x 14 cm, 2016
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Love Song, Scrapped deacidified, reclaimed bookpage, 24 cm x 20.5 cm, 2019
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Salt Dancers, Handcut text collage on deacidified reclaimed bookpages, 20.3 cm x 22.9 cm, 2019
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The Buddha at War, Incense burns on reclaimed text, 21.6 cm x 50.8 cm, 2017
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One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue, Acrylic on deacidified book-pages, 36.5 cm x 32.3 cm, 2019
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The Language of Love, Acrylic on reclaimed deacified bookpages, 41.9 cm x 39.3 cm, 2018
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The Nun’s Tale, Deacidified book-pages, shredded and handwoven, 19 cm X 21.6 cm, 2019
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The World of the Buddha, Acrylic and hand-cut deacidified book-pages, 16.5 cm x 40.6 cm, 2019
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Theory of Nothing, Hand-cut text collage on deacidified book-pages 22 cm x 20.3, 2019
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Turtle moon, Handcut text collage on deacidified reclaimed book pages, 19.5 cm x 21.5 cm 2018
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Wheel of Life, Acrylic and hand-cut text collage on reclaimed, deacidified book-pages, 30 cm x 26.5 cm, 2020
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Without a Map, Acrylic on hand-cut reclaimed book pages, 21.5 cm x 24 cm, 2020
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