Buy unique Tote Bag with Constitution of India PreambleBuy the famous Kerala Kasavu Handloom Saree
cats of kochi
cats of kochi
An installation in an open yard: a woven jute hanging painted with a figure in a yellow and red dress, split cane fanning out around it, and shaped pieces of wood laid out on the ground below.This photograph on its own page

Ialong, hakum!

Two artists from India’s Northeast explore gender norms and the nurturing essence of nature through wood, bamboo, and rich indigenous traditions. Nature as refuge, difference as beauty.

Published 30 December 2025

This has finished

On view
12 December 2025 – 31 March 2026
Times
10AM to 6PM (Mon to Sunday) Till March 31st, 2026
Part of
Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2025–26

Where

Vallabhdas Kanji Limited (VKL Warehouse)

Event venue · no 6/951, Bazaar Road, Mattancherry

You’ve just missed it — take it home anyway

The 2025–26 Biennale ended on 31 March 2026. The next is expected around December 2027. We made a book of all 72 exhibits, venue by venue, with the photographs — 76 pages, 9 MB.

We email you the book. Nothing else.

One figure—a woman’s body with a masculine face—navigates societal expectations. Another—a bamboo structure with a heart at its centre—embodies Mother Nature. Two visions of refuge.

Artists

James Alfred Rymbai, Puja Lamgu (Northeast India)

Medium

Different kinds of wood, Mixed media- Bamboo craft and Coloured drawing inks

A large woven tapestry hangs vertically, depicting a standing figure in a yellow garment with red sleeves and dark hair, surrounded by loose straw-like fibers. Below, on a floor covered in wood shavings, lie scattered carved wooden pieces resembling body parts, including a head, torso, limbs, and hands, alongside rough branches and a long woven pole ending in a spherical basket-like form. To the right, a dark, curved, textured object leans against a wall under a covered outdoor area with white walls and greenery visible in the background.

About

Ialong, hakum! brings together Puja Lamgu and James Alfred Rymbai to explore gender norms and the nurturing essence of nature.

The wooden figure, crafted from various woods, symbolizes identity’s complexity. A woman’s body—open, vulnerable—meets a masculine face conveying intensity. It mirrors the struggle to navigate expectations and personal fears.

The bamboo structure extends from earth, embodying Mother Nature as caretaker. At its centre: a heart signifying life and vitality, drawing from rich indigenous traditions of the Northeast.

Together: dialogue about identity’s challenges and nature as refuge. Beauty in differences. Strength in collaboration.