Barsha Manandhar is a contemporary artist who lives and works in Sitapaila, Kathmandu. She completed her bachelors in fine arts from Kathmandu University in 2023.

In her practice, she focuses on issues concerning women. Her inspiration stems from her personal experiences and observations, reflecting on the concealed emotions and struggles that women endure. In this evocative series of artworks, we delve into the intricate tapestry of a woman’s journey – a journey marked by vulnerabilities, insecurities, and the silent battles fought through generations. Each piece in her collection serves as a poignant brushstroke, revealing the nuanced experiences of growing up as a girl in a conditional society.

In her recent work exhibited at Nepal Art Council, she has used themes of  hypocrisy and pretense that women have to maintain to a certain extent. The conditioning that is ingrained, of forced smiles and suppressed voices, trained to hide their emotions and to make believe. The artist has used barbie dolls to show this pretentious nature. Barbie is a doll that is idolized by young girls, a doll with unrealistic feminine features. It has a bright smile plastered around its beautiful face which doesn’t change in any situation. Manandhar believes this unchanging lifeless expression of a barbie is similar to that of a woman. In this manner she has represented the doll as a metaphor in her works. Her perspective circles around unveiling that side which society knowingly or unknowingly imposes upon women.