Art is Meditative, Peaceful in KMB Artist Raja Boro’s Woodcuts

KOCHI:
Memories are like museums with treasures unfolding on each visit and revisit; a refuge to reflect and move on; moments that one hold on to for inspiration and hope. Landscapes of Memory (2025) by Santiniketan-based artist Raja Boro in woodcuts feature “the magic within self” in Island Warehouse, Willingdon Island, at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale ending this month-end.

A hexaptych (six panels) depict the vast blooming stretches of mustard fields bordered by trees at a distance, the blue shades of the sky, earthen shades below and nature’s blessings in his native village Rangia, Assam. The colours capture the sublimity of nature, its rhythms and moods transcending the scenic charm spreading harmony and bliss, striking a chord with viewers. “Art for me is meditative, a flow of colours and forms in a deep contemplative stage, a communion with nature and powers above. This is a childhood memory of my mother and her mustard cultivation, of the days when I lent her a hand. We are an agrarian family and my parents are still into it,” said Raja who is uplifted by the beauty of his native terrains.

The second hexaptych focuses on the earthen paddy fields bordered by beds of mustard plants, trees here and there and lining the horizon as well. The style and composition of hazy frames of mellowing yellows, browns and dark greens stand out.

On querying about his passion for woodcut, he said, “Owing to some communication gap I missed an opportunity in Santiniketan and so took a degree in chemistry from Assam before joining BFA in Santiniketan. He did his MVA in printmaking from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara in 2022. Chemistry complemented woodcut and printmaking helping me choose colours and in planning the layers of colour blocks. Moreover, unlike other subjects where each has a studio, printmaking is a community endeavour where each shares material and machine, recalling our community where all share and help one another. Besides, printmaking allows me to take many original copies for gifting,” he said.

Raja’s positive and happy outlook are reflected in his works. A woodcut of a full moon glows in the dark. “Moon is the supreme soul reflecting the energy and light of the sun in the darkness connecting the soul of the people and spreading peace. It is revered in our culture which worships all the element of nature,” he said.

Five woodcuts depict his childhood and the landscapes layered with precision and detailing of colours and forms, and of course memories. A big lemon in wooden-fenced field revives his football days with friends. “We used to soften the lemon and turn it into a football,” he said. Lighting a lamp with his father for good harvest as part of the Bihu festival celebration comes alive in the next. The next frame is about making hay with friends on a raft in the flooding river. “We have floods often which is celebration as schools are closed and we can play,” Raja said. The next one is about a starlit paddy field after harvest, of memories of his mother’s story telling moments, of the time she told him not to count stars. The next is about diya lighting for Bihu celebration.

A huge tree with brimming with yellow flowers, the petals carpeting the ground, the moon sparkling against the background looks romantic. “It’s a moment in Santiniketan where I found my soulmate, an artist,” he said.