Govinda Sah ‘Azad’ was born in 1974, in Rajbiraj, Nepal. From an early age, he was interested in drawing and sculpture. He left Nepal to live in India and from 1991-94, worked as a sign board and wall painter in Delhi. In 1995, he returned to Kathmandu and joined the Fine Art College to realise his dream of becoming a painter. During his
studies, he participated in several group exhibitions which resulted in a successful first solo exhibition in 1999. It was at this point that the Professor and Campus Chief of the Fine Art College and prominent artist Govinda Dongol dubbed Govinda Sah as “Lion Heart”.
From March-June 2000, Govinda began a nation-wide cycle tour to spread the
awareness of peace through art under the title The 21st Century is the Century of Art
and Peace. During the three month tour, he held several art shows, workshops, and
gave lectures in schools and to community groups. Govinda then travelled and held
solo exhibitions in Mumbai, India, and Dhaka, Bangladesh returning to Nepal to
graduate with a BA in Fine Art in 2003.
He joined the MA Fine Art course in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2006, but relatively soon
thereafter acquired sponsorship and moved to London to study. Govinda obtained a
MA in Fine Art from Wimbledon College of Art in 2008. This prolific young artist has held numerous solo exhibitions and group shows in Nepal and internationally. He has also co-ordinated a number of art workshops under the sponsorship of the United Nations and the Embassy of Bangladesh in Nepal. Some of his exhibitions have been sponsored and
organised by the British Council in Nepal and the Embassy of Egypt in Nepal. In 2012, his work was selected and displayed at the Royal Academy of Arts, Summer Exhibition.
Govinda Sah’s works can be found in private collections worldwide. His first solo
exhibition, Transcriptions, was held in 2011 at October Gallery, London and in May 2013
he presented a solo exhibition, The Universe Within, at Tibet House, New York, USA. In
November 2013, Govinda Sah ‘Azad’ exhibited a second solo show, Lightness of Being at October Gallery. Boundless Possibilities, the artist’s third solo exhibition at October Gallery, London, was displayed in 2016.