Arunachal: Rajiv Gandhi University students selected for Kochi Muziris Biennale

Itanagar: Three students from the Rajiv Gandhi University‘s (RGU) department of fine arts and music have been selected to participate in the prestigious Kochi Muziris Biennale in Kerala.

Ejum Riba (BFA painting honours final year), Nabam Hema (BFA sculpture honours graduate) and Taba Yaniya (BFA painting honours, graduate currently pursuing MFA in painting from Assam University, Silchar) are partaking in the biannual event.

The trio are the first from the state to participate in the event.

The Students’ Biennale is designed to facilitate young creative students from across India to participate and showcase their art.

Riba hails from Basar, Leparada district. His works are based on the folk narratives of the Monpa and Sherdukpen communities and also reflect the Buddhist culture through typical colour harmony and textural surface.

Hema’s works are reflective of her culture, society, and environment and suggest sustainable and harmonious development of society and the environment.

Yaniya is from Yazali, Lower Subansiri district, whose concept draws from her Nyishi tribe’s folklore/myths/stories and culture. She amalgamates the style with the folk and miniature art style of India which gives it a pan-Indian identity.

Their project that has been selected for the Kochi Muziris Biennale revolves around the life and society of the Tani tribes of the state, underlining their agrarian household and activities.

“This will recreate the life of a regional clan for international viewers,” an official statement said.

The artistic environment is proposed with elements of abstraction, metaphor, and symbolic representation of all the stories, ideas, and creative approaches practised within their community. The concept emerges from a discussion that they initiated during their student days to redesign the forgotten ecosystem with new possibilities. Their objective is to celebrate and deliver a rich cultural message to the people with lesser information regarding the community in question.

The statement said that their participation is a matter of recognition for the department.

“This will not only encourage their fellow students but also provide a stepping stone for the young students to learn. It is a matter of pride for the department, RGU and the whole state of Arunachal Pradesh,” the statement added.

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