Kathmandu, Nov. 3 -- Growing up in Kapilbastu, near the remnants of the ancient palace of the Lord Buddha in Tilaurakot, artist Nabin Chandra Aryal never imagined he would one day devote his life to art.

As a schoolboy, he was known for his jokes. When teachers asked if anyone wanted to tell one in front of the class, his hand was always the first to rise. He would walk to the front, crack jokes, and watch his classmates erupt in laughter. "Everyone clapped," he recalls. "It gave me a sense of identity."

Being the class entertainer also shaped his path to becoming a performer-someone who could move people through expressions.

Teachers began calling him during free periods to lighten the room. "That's how it all began," he says. "It gav...