Buckliger

concerning the installation "Un-done/Re-done" by Zubeni Lotha: The installation brings together Naga elements to express the thoughts of the artist concerning the Naga situation today. The shawl is used by every Naga group, it has patterns which have meanings attached to them. This shawl was created as a unity Naga shawl. This is used in the installation in an undone/unfinished manner because the question of Naga unification, Naga identity or the Naga political issue is a topic that has no ending yet. Is the Naga story just beginning or is it coming to an end? The painting of the calendar, which is an artistic re-imagination of an original 2015 National Socialist Council of Nagaland calendar, shows the tension between the Naga struggle and religion, which has a very important place within the Naga society. In the decades of the Naga struggle, the ideology of the Naga nation was diluted and the blend of Christian text and slogans seems to have gripped the imaginations of some nationalist groups. But can there be a Naga consensus on this type of imagination? The video of a Naga man dressed in traditional attire performing a war dance runs on con-tinuous loop to suggest the continuous churn-ing out of the authentic past culture. But is the past always authentic? Who decides on the authenticity of the Naga culture? Do all these elements make for the whole Naga culture? Comment by Zubeni Lotha, co-curator of the exhibition and artist from Nagaland