Thu Sep 12 06:52:00 UTC 2024: ## “Dispersive Acts” at TARQ: Artist Explores Colonial Botany and Resistance in Mumbai’s Rani Baug
**Mumbai, India (September 12, 2024) -** A new exhibition titled “Dispersive Acts” by British-Indian artist Amba Sayal-Bennett has opened at TARQ in Mumbai. The show explores the colonial history of Rani Baug (formerly Victoria Gardens), a botanical garden established in the 1860s by the British.
Sayal-Bennett’s sculptures and drawings examine how the garden served as a hub for colonial botanical practices, including the extraction of plants and labor, the transfer of specimens across the globe, and the erasure of indigenous knowledge. She highlights the “laboratory for the Empire” nature of the garden, where a Victorian English garden structure was imposed upon the Indian landscape.
The artist draws connections between Rani Baug and Kew Gardens in London, highlighting the architectural similarities and the historical links to the India Rubber Company. She further explores the story of the stolen rubber seeds from South America, brought to Kew Gardens and subsequently deployed to India, which led to the introduction of rubber plantations.
“By 1873, the price of rubber had surpassed that of silver,” Sayal-Bennett explains. “The British government sought to establish its own rubber supply by bringing the high-yielding Hevea Brasiliensis species from South America to India.” This ultimately led to the erasure of local plants and landscapes due to the introduction of a monoculture.
Sayal-Bennett also focuses on the role of botanical drawings in colonial exploitation. She highlights how illustrations, often isolating plants from their natural habitat, were used to encourage economic exploitation rather than understanding them as part of a larger ecosystem.
The exhibition also incorporates art deco elements, a style adopted by Indian architects as a symbol of independence and a departure from colonial influences. Sayal-Bennett’s work “Ziggurat” reimagines the triumphal arch at Rani Baug in art deco, drawing attention to the garden’s colonial past and its potential for future agency.
“Dispersive Acts” runs at TARQ in Mumbai until September 21st and offers a powerful commentary on the legacy of colonial botany, its lasting impact on the landscape, and the ongoing struggle for self-determination.
First Piper 