Manipuri artist paints a window to the northeast

The cultural and anthropological vibrancy of northeast India is brought to life in a solo exhibition by Manipuri artist Oinam Dilip, currently open at India International Centre (IIC) here.

Dilip, a graduate of Delhi's College of Art, has been living in Delhi since the last two decades. His earlier works engaged with the themes of "solitude, grim sentimentalism and forbidding darkness".

The 15 works in the exhibition titled "Homecoming" feature cultural symbols of the region and the idea of "home" for the 34-year-old artist in which he recounts his "honest internalization of experiences that are rooted in his identity and the culture of northeast India".

"I wanted to revive the icons of the northeast and bring it to the world, since we hardly see art from there," Dilip told IANS, when asked about the motivation behind these artworks.

"The current works are inspired by identity-based iconic images, the environment, and tangible cultural objects," he added.

Contending his art as "a window through which he sees his state and the northeast", Dilip says he has painted folk artists, tribals and other people from the region. He sees these works as free experiments with the real and the abstract.

The exhibition is open till July 10.

--IANS

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