A conversation titled “Folklore in Present-Tense” was held on November 1 at Ozone Café, Kohima bringing together artists, storytellers, and cultural practitioners to reflect on what contemporary folklore looks like, and how it continues to link communities to their past while shaping present and future cultural expressions.
The event was organized as part of the ongoing exhibition “Spelling T-A-M-A-R-A”, conceptualized and curated by Arieno Kera, Art Practitioner and Fellow of the Himalayan Fellowship for Creative Practitioners 2025, with the support of the Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art (FICA) and Royal Enfield.
The speakers included poet, writer, journalist, and publisher, Vishü Rita Krocha, storyteller, teacher, and village elder, Adani Salew, and art practitioner, Arieno Kera. The conversation was moderated by art manager, cultural curator and social researcher Mary Therese Kurkalang.
During the discussion, the panel explored collective ways of remembering, belonging, and storytelling through the lenses of art, language, and lived experience. The speakers shared insights from their personal and professional practices, emphasizing how folklore evolves through storytelling, art, and intergenerational exchange. They highlighted the ways in which stories are lived, shared, and intersect across mediums, geographies, and time, coexisting with both traditional and contemporary cultural institutions.
Meanwhile, the “Spelling T-A-M-A-R-A” exhibition delves into the folktales of Makhel, a Naga ancestral place of origin and departure. The title Tamara, which translates to “departure” in the Mao language of Makhel village, invites audiences into a reflective dialogue on the meaning of departure as embodied in objects. Several such objects each carrying stories of journey and transition were displayed as part of the exhibition, bridging folklore and material culture in evocative ways.
