Sustaina India

Sustaina India: The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and the renowned artist duo Thukral & Tagra are join forces to present the inaugural edition of Sustaina India — a unique platform where science meets art to inspire collective climate action. The first edition of Sustaina India was unveiled on 2nd February and is currently on view in till 15 February at Bikaner House, Delhi.

Rachna Toshniwal- There is No Such Thing Called Waste

Key Highlights:
The inaugural Sustaina India exhibition showcases the work of several emerging and established artists, including three Sustaina India Fellows for 2023-24:

1. Debasmita Ghosh
2. Manjot Kaur
3. Rachna Toshniwal

The exhibition also features artworks by Gaurav Jai Gupta, Pallov Saikia, Edible Archives, Bhaskar Rao, Shilpa Bhawane, Richi Bhatia, and Climate Recipes.

Featuring projects by Sustaina Fellows Debasmita Ghosh, Manjot Kaur, and Rachna Toshniwal. The exhibition also features artworks by Gaurav Jai Gupta, Pallov Saikia, Edible Archives, Bhaskar Rao, Shilpa Bawane, Richi Bhatia, and Climate Recipes. Curated by Thukral and Tagra + Srinivas Aditya Mopidevi Organised by Suyashi Smridhi, Milan Jacob, and Mihir Shah (Council on Energy, Environment and Water)

The first edition of Sustaina India – a first-of-its-kind platform where science meets art to inspire collective climate action – culminates in a public exhibition from 2-15 February at Bikaner House, Delhi. Sustaina India was conceptualized by the Council on
Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW), one of Asia’s leading sustainability think tanks, and internationally renowned artists Thukral & Tagra. The initiative mobilizes creators to integrate climate awareness and sustainability into the cultural fabric of India and beyond through annual fellowships, exhibitions, and public programs. Its vision is to catalyze the power of art to relay some of the pressing climate issues that are transforming the world as we speak.

The inaugural Sustaina India exhibition showcases the work of several emerging and established artists, including three Sustaina India Fellows – Debasmita Ghosh, Manjot Kaur, and Rachna Toshniwal – for 2023-24. Curated by Jiten Thukral, Sumir Tagra, and Srinivas Aditya Mopidevi, the exhibition unpacks how a detailed understanding of everyday materials can fundamentally realign our relationship with the planet. Through sensory installations, performances, artworks, and recipes, Sustaina India invites viewers to keep their “eyes to the ground, heart to the horizon”.

According to CEEW analysis, eight out of 10 Indians now live in districts vulnerable to extreme climate events such as cyclones, floods, and droughts. While communicators struggle to convey the importance of climate solutions and the scale of adversity, artists
can be visualizers of collective climate action. At its core, the first edition of Sustaina India features the work of three emerging artists – Debasmita Ghosh, Manjot Kaur, and Rachna Toshniwal – supported through a fellowship program. Ghosh synthesizes action-oriented research about the change in the ways of life of the Kondh community in Odisha because of climate change. Kaur presents an immersive video installation on forests – the world’s largest natural carbon sinks – and fertility, capturing her forest visits in different parts of India and the world. Toshniwal presents tapestries and other elements woven with ocean waste that washed up on the shores of Alibag, Maharashtra, advocating for a new approach towards waste.

In addition to the three Fellows, the exhibition also features textile and fashion designer Gaurav Jai Gupta, who works at the intersections of textiles and carbon; visual artist, photographer, and archivist Pallov Saikia, who speaks of archiving the land and life in Rahmaria, Assam, gradually taken away by the Brahmaputra; multidisciplinary artist Richi Bhatia, who stages interspecies conversation through performance; artist Shilpa Bhawane who speaks of the intimacy we can establish with the materials around us through drawing; and Climate Recipes by artist, curator, and researcher Srinivas Mangipudi and Srinivas Aditya Mopidevi, relaying recipes of adaptability from lived and acquired wisdom. Edible Archives presents conversations about sustainable, seasonal
food and sound artist and composer Bhaskar Rao contributes a sonic layer to the exhibition.

The vision of Sustaina India is to consistently instill the idea that sustainability is not imported; it lies in the ground beneath us and all we need to do is reorient our vision

Dates: On View till 15 February 2024
Timings: 11 AM – 6 PM
Venue: CCA Bikaner House (first floor), New Delhi