Indian

I am a visual artist and researcher based in Rajasthan, India. My work focuses on the ecological practices common to the dry desert landscapes of this region. My artistic sensibility is greatly influenced by my family’s rural and agrarian origins. I incorporate studies of non-human matter, such as sacred native shrubs, cacti and weeds; regional myths that permeate daily life; cultural tools; and the region's rocks and natural minerals. This is an attempt to understand and unearth the living histories of indigenous communities. I conduct ongoing conversations with communities such as the Bishnoi, Rebari, Bhopa-Bhopi, Gujar, Banjara and Charan. These conversations are crucial for mapping the broader significance of the desert landscape and understanding how people have historically lived and interacted with it. My botanical drawings are inspired by the knowledge that, in a region where little grows, each plant serves an intrinsic and sacred purpose in the rhythm of agrarian life. Similarly, my sculptural works emerge from domestic agrarian spaces through a hauntological exploration of collective memory.