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KOHIMA — As the theme of the art exhibition of the two self-taught artists - Among Venuh and Vimhakho Sotestu - suggests, the works of these two artists encapsulates everything about Nagaland - its culture and tradition, mountains and rivers and villages and cities.
The art exhibition-cum-sale on the theme ‘Alluring Nagaland’, consisting of 20 artworks of the two artists, which got underway at RCEMPA, Jotsoma, on May 24 will culminate on Friday.
“I am so fascinated by the tradition and culture of our own Naga,” Among Venuh, who is a self-taught and freelance artist, said. He added that his passion for art has always been there since his childhood.
Captivated by the beauty of nature, Venuh attempts to capture the colours, sounds and sights of nature and release them into his canvas.
“We came up with this exhibition to show our culture, rich tradition, landscape and at the same time trying to sell the paintings,” he said.
Venuh, who is into this profession for eight years now, said his initial journey into art was a difficult one due to financial constraints.
“We can’t fully depend on ourselves also. Whatever we are working, we can survive somehow. Hopefully in the future, it will sustain us,” he added. Eleven pieces of his artworks including a series, landscapes, fields and a partial cityscape of Kohima are up on display and sale.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]Meanwhile, Vimhakho Sotestu’s works are primarily influenced by the vibrant culture and traditions of the Nagas.
His initial start as an artist had its hiccups as his works were not well received by others. However, he persevered with his passion and took painting as a career.
The 29-year-old shared that he along with his friend Venuh used to go for ‘plein air’ art together.
One of his artwork collections is ‘Mount Japfu.’ Sotestu said he climbed Mount Japfu twice and was fascinated by the beauty of the landscape and so decided to put the experience into painting. ‘Mount Japfu,’ which comes in two canvases, took him 35 hours to complete the piece.
Chairman Task Force for Music and Arts, Theja Meru, termed the duo “silent heroes,” as though they don’t talk, their works do the talking.
He urged the people to come and support the artists by buying their artworks as they are selling at a reasonable price.
He also encouraged the artist community in the state to dream big as a lot of good things are expected to happen. Meru further informed that art residency and art appreciation would soon be organised in Wokha (Doyang) in June.
The art exhibition is curated and managed by the Artists of Nagaland in association with TaFMA.