Thrissur village to host the 8th edition of Ni Fest

Twenty artists from across the country will participate in the five-day camp and village art festival starting December 6

Enkakad near Wadakkanchery, a sleepy village in Thrissur, will host yet another edition of Ni Fest, a national artists camp and village art festival organised by the Niracharthu Kala Samskarika Samithi from December 6.

The eighth edition of Ni Fest offers a unique opportunity for artists and art enthusiasts to relish an open camp, set in the centre of a village. Curated by renowned artist Sujith S.N., 20 participants from different parts of the country will be joining the five-day camp, according to the organisers.

The list includes master sculptor Rajendra Tiku from Jammu & Kashmir, Mumbai-based artist T.R. Santhosh, internationally renowned sculptor and painter Gigi Scaria. The camp will convert the whole village into a huge canvas.

Niracharthu camps are structured as open avenues in the village, with artists choosing their place of work anywhere in and around the hamlet. Further, artists are accommodated in houses within the village, thus providing them with an opportunity to get a feel of local culture and hospitality.

As part of the village art festival, art programmes showcasing the cultural landscape of the State will be conducted on the open stage on all five days. The programmes include chavittu natakam, theatre performances, musical jugalbandi, music band and performances by local artists.

Midhun Mohan’s art works

Ni Fest 8 will be inaugurated on December 6, 2023 by Murali Cheeroth, Chairperson of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi. Art works by late Midhun Mohan, who passed away last year, will also be showcased at the village library hall. He was also a resident artist at the Nidarsana art residency of Niracharthu.

“Presidential Sights’, illustrations by Binu Bhaskar, artist and president of Niracharthu Samiti, is an added attraction. Renowned author and critic Sunil P. Ilayidom will deliver the lead lecture on ‘Visual art and cultural history’.

A presentation by art curator and author, Premjish Achari, on the topic, “Seeing like a machine: can machines liberate human creativity?” will also be part of the five day event.

Author Devadas V.M. will dedicate the camp to the fond memories of late actor KPAC Lalitha, who spent the last years of her life in Enkakad, the native place of her husband and acclaimed director Bharathan.