León Ferrari

Shashi Bikram Shah, Royal Massacre Series 7  2001

Shashi Bikram Shah, Royal Massacre Series 9  2001

Shashi Bikram Shah, Royal Massacre Series 10  2001

Shashi Bikram Shah, Royal Massacre Series 3  2001

In these works, Shah adds a sword in Crown Prince Dipendra’s hand. Following the massacre, a government-led investigation concluded that Dipendra was responsible for killing his own family, before turning the gun on himself. He passed away just three days after being declared king. The original photograph reproduced in these works shows the royal family inside the throne room in Kathmandu’s Narayanhiti Palace. The throne features the Hindu motif of a many-headed snake god. Throughout the Royal Massacre Series, Shah often draws dark snakes surrounding the figures, symbolising danger and betrayal.

Gallery label, February 2026

Shashi Bikram Shah, Royal Massacre Series 4  2001

In these works, Shah adds a sword in Crown Prince Dipendra’s hand. Following the massacre, a government-led investigation concluded that Dipendra was responsible for killing his own family, before turning the gun on himself. He passed away just three days after being declared king. The original photograph reproduced in these works shows the royal family inside the throne room in Kathmandu’s Narayanhiti Palace. The throne features the Hindu motif of a many-headed snake god. Throughout the Royal Massacre Series, Shah often draws dark snakes surrounding the figures, symbolising danger and betrayal.

Gallery label, February 2026

Shashi Bikram Shah, Royal Massacre Series 5  2001

Grieving figures can be seen at the bottom of many works in the series, illustrating the shock and despair felt in Nepal following the massacre. Shah has said that ‘the series is not just about one family. I was thinking deeply about the situation across Nepal. In the early 2000s, there was an ongoing conflict in the country and the Maoist insurgency was very active. People were suffering both at the hands of the Maoists and the government. My drawings contextualise the pain that was unfolding.’

Gallery label, February 2026

Shashi Bikram Shah, Royal Massacre Series 6  2001

Shashi Bikram Shah, Royal Massacre Series 11  2001

Shashi Bikram Shah, Royal Massacre Series 15  2001

Shashi Bikram Shah, Royal Massacre Series 14  2001

Here, Shah combines the faces of King Birendra and Queen Ayshwaryato to portray the Hindu god Vishnu in his androgynous form, the Vaikuntha-Kamalaja. This form represents the oneness with his female consort Lakshmi. The artist also draws inspiration from the Dashavatar, Vishnu’s ten incarnations who descend to Earth to restore order during times of crisis. Some of these incarnations – the fish, the tortoise, the boar and the half-lion – can be seen near the Vishnu figure. Shah’s expressive linework and exaggerated shapes speak to his past experience as a caricaturist for a local newspaper.

Gallery label, February 2026

Shashi Bikram Shah, Royal Massacre Series 1  2001

Shashi Bikram Shah, Royal Massacre Series 12  2001

Shashi Bikram Shah, Royal Massacre Series 13  2001

Shashi Bikram Shah, Royal Massacre Series 8  2001