Artist and designer Aku Zeliang presents Huh Tu Vessels, an installation of three, 6-feet tall woven vessels crafted in cane and metal, and shaped in the silhouette of the traditional ‘surahi’, a native Rajasthani water storage vessel. Rooted between Nagaland and Rajasthan Zeliang’s work becomes a dialogue between memory and material, tradition and transformation. Drawing from his celebrated ‘Huh Tu’ furniture collection, inspired by Nagaland’s tattooing traditions, the installation continues Zeliang’s exploration of indigenous identity through craft. Made in collaboration with two Jodhpur artisan clusters, the vessels combine the delicate inlay of indigenous cane weaving with the iconic desert water vessels form. Metal work adds a contemporary twist. This meeting of two craft traditions, creates a hybrid intersection of deeply rooted tradition reimagined for the modern world. This work is a call to India’s youth to honour diversity, preserve tradition, and share, reinterpret, and aid its evolution across cultures. Sited in Jodhpur’s historic Toorji ka Jhalra Stepwell, this installation is a tribute to the power of shared knowledge and creative synergy across borders and generations.
