‘Colour of pandemic’ exhibition underway in Manipur

CULTURAL DESK: One of Manipur’s largest solo art shows, titled “Colours of Pandemic,” is currently taking place, drawing large crowds of tourists to the RKCS art museum, a well-known landmark in Imphal.

Renowned artist Rajkumar Budhimanta who is son of late Rajkumar Chandrajitsana Singh, popularly known as RKCS, a legendary doyen in the field of fine arts in the North eastern border state, exhibited his 335 oil paintings which he had created during the Covid 19 pandemic lockdowns in the ongoing exhibitions.

Artist Budhimanta gave a description of the paintings to the distinguished visitors and said, “During the Covid 19 lockdowns, when the public was terrified to venture outside their perimeter, I used to create these paintings on a regular basis. I suppose you could say that I became addicted to painting during those times and couldn’t go a day without doing it.”

Interestingly some of his paintings were even posted in his Facebook page under the banner ‘Lockdown Series’ prior to the ongoing exhibition and it become one of the well known posts to regular social media users at that point of time.

Furthermore, The paintings at the “Colour of Pandemic” show are inspired by real-world events as well as myths and legends. The majority of the fictitious paintings displayed during the current exhibition depict the stunning landscapes of Manipur’s various places, including mountain ranges, marshes, rivers, and caves in addition to regional foods from various seasons.

In a social media post, Budhimanta shared a video of the art exhibition’s setup at his at his well decorated courtyard turn exhibition hall and stated, “A solo exhibition after 29 years from my first solo exhibition in 1994 at GM Hall.” GM hall or Gandhi Memorial hall is also again a popular landmark in Imphal.

Notably, The five-day arts exhibition was officially inaugurated on January 28 by Manipur’s education and law and legislative affairs minister Thounaojam Basantakumar Singh in presence of Vice chancellor Professor P Gunindro of the Manipur University of Culture and Chairperson K Sobita of RKCS Museum of Arts and Crafts. (The Assam Tribune)