The print series in the exhibition is an outcome of my research and print residency with Edinburgh Printmakers that took place in July and August of 2017. During this project, I had the opportunity to explore a variety of Scottish landscapes and have many conversations about them with academics, conservationists, community project leaders, environmental campaigners as well as artists. My aim was to go below the surface of things, and understand the cultural, political and historical imperatives that have shaped the famous and glorious Scottish lochs, forests, grasslands and rural and urban re-greening efforts.
Alongside this research, I was interested in seeing the connections with Indian natural landscapes and their long historic relationship to Scotland regarding scientific forestry as well as biological gardens. Both countries have large mammals which are now either extinct, such as the wolf, or under threat, such as the tiger. This loss has upset the delicate ecological balance of these lands. There are also similar efforts to tame rivers and water through the creation of dams and the rechanneling of rivers. These are important learnings especially when climate change is looming large over us. I have tried to depict these realities of violence and rejuvenation in the work on display in the exhibition. Culture plays an important role in the way we relate to nature, hints of which can be seen in the Gaelic and Hindi language through which I have revisited contemporary landscapes. (See catalogue under Catalogues/Books)
