Art Centrix Space will present Politics of Development and Ecology, a new group exhibition curated by Manan Shah, on view from November 23 to December 22, 2025. The show brings together eight contemporary artists — Gurdeep Brar, Hemangini Maharaul, Hemant Gavankar, Jagannath Panda, KP Pradeepkumar, Martand Khosla, Pinaki Ranjan Mohanty, and Valay Gada — whose practices explore the relationships between ecology, authority, and development.
Through painting, sculpture, and installation, the exhibition addresses the contradictions underlying narratives of progress and sustainability. Each artist investigates the layered interplay of aspiration, exploitation, and environmental responsibility from distinct perspectives. Brar’s abstract compositions evoke fragile ecologies, while Maharaul’s use of reclaimed materials highlights cycles of consumption and decay. Gavankar’s contemplative cityscapes resonate with Khosla’s architectural reflections on construction and erasure. Works by Panda merge mythological and urban motifs, while Pradeepkumar’s landscapes consider memory and resistance. Mohanty’s ecological forms and Gada’s industrial assemblages question the ethics and impact of growth.
Curator Manan Shah situates these artistic dialogues within a socio-political context, framing ecological urgency as inseparable from questions of governance, development, and cultural identity.
“The array of works on display anchors towards the wider horizon of ecology. Issues such as infrastructural projects, pushing indigenous tribes to the fringes, degradation of river bodies and privatisation of land: all these, therefore, contribute to the larger decline of ecology. The Industrial Revolution, as we know, attributes to the establishment and legitimising of capitalism. Privatisation of land and natural resources necessitated further clearing of land, which pushed indigenous tribes to the peripheries, thus turning the population more towards the labourer class.”
Shah notes.
Exhibition Details
Dates: November 23 – December 22, 2025
Curator: Manan Shah
Artists: Gurdeep Brar, Hemangini Maharaul, Hemant Gavankar, Jagannath Panda, KP Pradeepkumar, Martand Khosla, Pinaki Ranjan Mohanty, Valay Gada
Venue: Art Centrix Space, Jain Farm, Behind Sector D2, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi – 110070
Timings: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Monday to Saturday
Cover image: Artwork by Hemangini Maharaul
Athmaja Biju is the Editor at Abir Pothi. She is a Translator and Writer working on Visual Culture.
