Two things come to our mind when we think of Tripura. One is primordial; the other concerns the present. The first is the rich cultural tradition of the land. The second is the deadly terror attack of October 1 that killed dozens and maimed many.

Both these diverse aspects were apparent in a few works displayed at a recent exhibition held at Kalakshetra by artists of Tripura, though they did not constitute a major part of the show. The exhibition was primarily meant to present a panoramic view of the contemporary art scene of Tripura.

This initiative by the teachers, students and alumni of the Government College of Art and Craft, Tripura, was the first such attempt at showcasing the art of Tripura outside the State.

Terror has eaten so much into people’s psyche that it has to find expression in art more often than not. Jayanta Bhattacharya’s work Band-Aid did it quite emphatically, summing up the scar created by the collective attack on mankind and alluding to the subsequent ritualistic damage-control by the powers that be. The huge band-aid pasted vertically on a sea of traumatised humanity, with a flowing black screen in the background, is an apt portrayal of the attack and after.

Abhijit Bhattacharya’s works on the other hand are characterised by calm, subdued colours and smooth movement of dotted lines. His presentation is so lyrical and forms so evolved that even sensuality bears a euphemistic softness of romanticism. Prasanta Sinha also masks passion with a veil of poetic arrangement, albeit in a different manner. Rajesh Bhowmik’s work shows a couple amid a natural setting, remarkable for the beauty of forms and warm, striking colours. He creates a dream-like air with a crescent moon, stars and flowers, with a swarm of tiny fish around the legs hinting at subtle sensuality. Pramit Parna Paul depicts love in a matter-of-fact way but does enough to elevate his work through decoration of his canvas with floral patterns.

Barun Chakraborty’s figurative work, having a great composition and displaying fine painting and drawing skills, carries the fragrance of Tripura, while Bijon B Chakraborty tries to make a social statement through his work.

Goddess Kali has a special place in the social life of Tripura, and both Jiban K Shil and Joydeep Bhattacharjee use the image symbolically in their works. Paltu Barman’s female subjects on the other hand seem to represent the State’s natural beauty, while Aparesh Paul’s work, displaying three women gossiping at a dhekishaal, brims with joyous, vibrant colours, and is one that strived to present a vignette of the simple village life.

Nandini Deb Barman excels on women-centric subjects and her style is reminiscent of Shergil-like treatment of female compositions. Nandini strives to probe the soul of her subject cast in a social setting.

Pushpal Deb tries to capture the spirit of India through a huge Hanuman carrying his club on one hand and a Tricolour on the other even as a figure on the left, with obvious autobiographical content, is shown to nourish ambitions about the 2012 London Olympics.

Harekrishna Pal in his drawing displays nice control and consistency while putting the animal, human and tree forms in great harmony. Manish Bhattacharya’s works are conspicuous by the prevalence of red, white and black and the symbolic use of the image of the cow. Amit Kumar Nath, in one of his works, shows promise through blending of nostalgia and a childlike yearning for freedom in the midst of a concrete jungle.

There were a number of abstract works as well which variously relied on colours, lines and forms. They included those of Swapan Nandy, Sanghamitra Nandy, Ranab Saha, Sajal Chakraborty, Dr Debabrata Bharati and Partha Pratim Ganguly. In Debashish Biswas’s work, brisk lines over abstracted colour patches create a fine visual effect. Among others who put up impressive paintings were Chinmoy Ray, Chandan Mazumdar, Rajib Mazumdar, Mitali Gangopadhyay, Tapasri Ganguly, Suman Bhattacharjee Ramyendu K Das, Satarupa Sutradhar, Tapasi Debbarma, Bipin Debbarma, Palash Debnath and Partha P Choudhury.

The sculptures that stood out included those done by Sanjit Das, Kajal Deb, Kaberi Choudhury, Somen Debnath, Motilal Kalai, Debabrata Bhattacharya, Debabrata Das, Jayanta Datta, Asha Debbarma and Sourav Das.

The exhibition, in which 45 artists put up 85 works, concluded on November 17 last.

d.bezbarua@yahoo.co.in

Debashish Bezbaruah