On display at Mumbai's Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke from 12th of November to 27th of December last year was Patiala-based interdisciplinary artist Kulpreet Singh's first major solo exhibition titled Indelible Black Marks (syab kale dag).

These burning fields provided fodder for Kulpreet Singh’s compelling exhibition “Indelible Black Marks.” As the son of a farmer from Punjab, Singh is keenly aware of the perilous plight of those who work the land. They resort to torching the crop residue because they can’t afford other means to dispose of it. Central to the exhibition was the evocative eight-and-a-half-minute video Indelible Black Marks (all works 2022–24), which depicts stubble being set ablaze and brown fields turning coal black. 

FOSSILS OF FORCE featuring Kulpreet Singh

What to see: Drawing on his experiences from the 2020-2021 farmers’ movement, Kulpreet uses the iconography of nails and barricades to depict the systemic pressures faced by farmers, while simultaneously honouring those who lost their lives and celebrating the spirit of communal feeding through langar. The show’s curatorial advisor is Birgid Uccia.

While Indian artists are active globally, there were also exhibitions that gave a sense of the rise of young artists. Particularly impressive was the exhibition " Indelible Black Marks " by Kulpreet Singh. Based in Patiala, Punjab, northern India, Singh majored in printmaking at university and in recent years has been presenting works on the complex issues surrounding agriculture, the state's main industry.

A new generation of artists is countering exploitative models of agriculture and creating works of art that embody care for the land and justice for farmers.

FOR the days in between when it is not possible to catch up with the grand preview of ISA, there is an artist talk with Santiago Giralda on his solo exhibition “Maos of the Invisible” with art writer Shreya Ajmani. Gallerie Mirchandani +Steinrucke previews Kulpreet Singh’s  Fossils of Force, their last find is still fresh in my mind, so a “must go.”