Open Dialogues

One of the photographs on display at the exhibition.

In Henba Tensuba’s United, the Manipur-based artist’s canvas shows a uniformed man holding a picture. In the background, a woman and her son stare out at the viewer, as if waiting for someone, or something. In “Alive” — the photography and art exhibition at the ongoing 2nd edition of the North East Festival (NEF) — this is the only inkling of the tension in that region. All the other frames remind one of what the Eight Sisters have to offer and echo the theme of the festival, “Insurgence to Resurgence.”

Vikramjit Kakati, an engineer and photojournalist based out of Assam, who is a part of the team at NEF, says, “There was a photography section in last year’s edition too, but this time it is on a larger scale. Around 15 photography organisations from across India have worked together for this show, bringing about 150 photographs that showcase the Northeast. And it is for the first time that we are showcasing paintings done by artists from the region.” Mrinal Kumar Nayak’s Shakti, Debananda Ulup’s Tune of my Valley, Buddhi Thapa’s Ao Naga Lady and Bikramaditya Choudhury’s Child’s Play are some of the paintings on display at the exhibition.

Sharing the space with 43 paintings done by Northeastern artists at IGNCA’s Mati Ghar are photographs of striking skyscapes, landscapes, wildlife snapshots and profiles of people taken from across that region. Amidst glimpses of a plush cultural heritage are snapshots of the many monasteries that dot the mountains and the music and dance traditions. “As a precursor to the show, we had invited photographers to participate in a national level contest, and we chose the winners based on how they represented the Northeast,” says Kakati. While Anjali Borah’s picture of two majestic one-horned rhinoceros bagged the third prize, Rituraj Shivam’s snapshot of Nagaland’s Hornbill Festival won the second. Priyojit Akoijam Tangkhul’s picture of an elderly peasant couple, taken along the Nagaland-Manipur border, won the first place for its display of “tradition, ethnicity and descriptiveness,” says Kakati.

The exhibition is on at Mati Ghar, IGNCA, 3 Rajendra Prasad Road, till November 10. Contact: 23388155