The Revival of the Forgotten Art of Manipur

Subika art is a rare manuscript painting tradition from Manipur, Northeast India, preserved through a small number of 18th to 19th century texts on astronomy, cosmology, and ritual practices. Created on handmade paper and agarwood bark manuscripts (korbek or puya) and written in the Old Meitei script, it reflects a distinct visual language shaped by the region’s position at the intersection of South, East, and Southeast Asia.

“The Revival of the Forgotten Art of Manipur: An Exhibition of Modern Subika Art” reintroduces this tradition within a contemporary context. While rooted in manuscript practices, the works reinterpret Subika through new materials and approaches, extending its visual vocabulary to engage with mythology, history, and cultural memory.

Artist Sapha Yumnam plays a key role in this revival, translating Subika from manuscript form into a contemporary practice. Through his illustrated books and paintings, he demonstrates how the tradition remains open to adaptation while retaining its core identity.

Featuring twenty works, the exhibition presents a range of themes, from belief systems to everyday cultural life, showing how a manuscript-based tradition can exist within present-day artistic discourse.

Curated by Wangam Somorjit, historian and Director of the Advanced Research Consortium Library & Archives (ARCLA), the exhibition draws from ongoing efforts to preserve and study Manipuri manuscripts.

Presented by The Kolorbox, the exhibition reflects its intent to work closely with artists, curators, and cultural practitioners, supporting research, assisting in curatorial development, and organizing exhibitions that bring regional practices into a wider dialogue.

The exhibition is hosted at Gallery 16Ten, a cultural space in Georgetown known for presenting contemporary art and supporting international exchange.

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