Anant Art Gallery will present 'Phantasms', a solo exhibition by artist Thamshangpha ‘Merci’ Maku, exploring themes of memory, identity, violence and life in the borderlands. Curated by Anna Sireiliu Charenamei and Sohorpem Kazingmei, with Shaleen Wadhwana as curatorial advisor, the exhibition will open on September 10, and remain on view till October 31.
Born in Chandel, Manipur, in 1999, Merci’s practice takes inspiration from tribal Naga culture, indigenous flora and fauna, and the relationship between communities and their environment.
The exhibition brings together his works across painting, canvas, ceramics and installation. It explores experiences of occupation, violence, homesickness and melancholy.
Merci’s work is also influenced from the traditional knowledge of women weavers in his community and their connection with nature.
Spectral figures with jagged limbs and bodies extending in different directions appear across his canvases, often caught in states of peril. His works also engage with forests, indigenous flora and fauna, and the relationship between humans and their habitat.
“The symbols that I trace in my works are not inventions. They are a conversation between my body, the land and memories,” Merci says.
However, 'Phantasms' also moves beyond political experiences to explore the artist’s everyday life and his desire for an alternate world. This appears in simple wishes, such as drawing a flower without associations of cruelty, taking time over a meal, or caring for his terrariums.
Speaking about the exhibition, Charenamei remarks, "With this exhibition, we want to bring out the complexities of Merci as an artist who is contending not just with the stereotypes of a difficult political experience but also trying to make sense of his own quotidian interests and concerns.”