Temsuyanger Longkumer, a London based multimedia artist from Nagaland. After completing his MA Graphics in Baroda, lived and worked in Delhi before moving to London to study Printmaking at the Royal College of Art in 2001. He now returns to Delhi for this solo show of his new works at the India International Centre.
His latest work, ‘Gods Summit’, envisions a utopian conversation amongst the Gods and Prophets about the predicament of what humanity has done to itself.
In the installation a tent functions as the symbolic meeting place of the summit. Collaged sound clips from films in multiple languages form the Gods’ deliberation, with translation projected nearby. Temsuyanger highlights events from global history at some key pivotal moments where irreversible change has occurred. This seminal piece of work raises the question of what it means to have power, control, authority, wisdom, vision.
Surrounding the installation are photographs of the series of sculptures ‘SUPERSTARS, Portraits of Remarkable People I Have Met’. Buffalo skulls form the base of the sculptures, each crafted with various materials to characterise the individual protagonists. The use of buffalo skulls originates from the traditional Naga practice of adorning dwellings with animal skulls to commemorate special events. Temsuyanger is referencing this dying culture and adds personalised symbolism to these portraits.
The juxtaposition of the two works in this exhibition reflects on Temsuyanger’s interest in spiritual belief systems, archetypes and inspirational characters as well as overlapping truths in a multicultural society.
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