Mizo art steps out of Aizawl

Kolkata: Lallawmkima is all of 20 years old, but two of his paintings depicting life in rural Mizoram, part of an exhibition here by

artists

from the northeastern state, have already been sold. The sum the Aizawl-based artist’s work has fetched may not be much when compared to the astronomical figures

art

can command, but his paintings are worth more than their price in rupees. They represent tiny Mizoram’s first confident steps into the world of Indian painting.

Lallawmkima’s paintings are among the 54 on display at ‘Colours of Mizoram’, an exhibition of paintings from that state, at the New South Gallery of the

Academy of Fine Arts

here. Organised by the state’s directorate of information and public relations (I&PR), the exhibition was inaugurated on Friday, a day after Mizoram celebrated its 33rd statehood day, and will continue till Wednesday. While some of the artists are professionals, the others pursue painting as a hobby.

“This exhibition is our attempt to promote the artists from Mizoram, and make the rest of the country aware of the potential our young people have. We first organised such an exhibition in Kolkata in 2009. After a long gap, we resumed the practice of holding annual exhibitions from 2018. After two exhibitions in Delhi, we are back in the city of art,” said Vanlalsangi, a senior official, I&PR .

Four of the 54 paintings are sketches, including nudes, while the rest are either water colours or acrylic on canvas. Most showcase the idyll that is rural Mizoram; several others centre on Mizo rituals and traditional attire. It would be difficult to connect the artists’ Mizoram with the state that saw the only instance of the IAF being deployed to quell an insurgency, and which was once known for its guerilla fighters. Over 30 years since the 1986 accord ended strife in the Mizo Hills, peace prevails both on and off the canvas.

Mizo women, in their traditional finery, also recur in painting after painting. Take for instance the ‘Mizo Pride’, which shows a group of women looking out of the canvas. The artist, Zonunchami, who looks after her mother’s business and calls herself a feminist, said art helped her cope with depression. “From a young age, I have had anxiety attacks. I feel calm while painting,” the young artist from Aizawl explained.

For Kolkatans, who have long associated Mizoram with the genius of Shylo ‘Mama’ Malsawmtluanga, Jeje Lalpekhlua and Lalrindika Ralte, the exhibition has been a revelation. “It was a very welcome step. We hardly get to see anything from that region. I don’t know what kind of support they get in Mizoram, but for the artists to come here and show their work is wonderful. It is also a great gift to Kolkata,” said Chhatrapati Dutta, principal of Government College of Art and Craft here, who attended the inauguration of the exhibition on Friday.

Mizo art’s first forays outside Aizawl have been fairly successful, but it still has a long way to go. The state lacks a government-run art school. While the I&PR directorate helps the artists by organising exhibitions and providing funds, it is an 80-member artists’ collective formed in 2013 – Mizoram Art Development Society – which has taken up the job of bringing the colours of Mizoram to the rest of the country.