Amba Sayal-Bennett’s Exhibition at ‘TARQ’ Mumbai reveals Art Deco Recreations
Amba Sayal-Bennett’s exhibition – ‘Dispersive Acts’ at TARQ, Mumbai, until September 21, 2024, reimagines Rani Baug through art deco, blending colonial history with a celebration of resistance and heritage.
Amba Sayal-Bennett’s ‘Dispersive Acts’ is part of a global project on colonial botany, shown in Mumbai, London, and New York. She links these exhibitions through themes of imperial gardens and botanical exchange, exploring connections like those between Rani Baug, Kew Gardens, and the history of rubber seed movement.
Amba Sayal-Bennett examines how rubber’s high value led to its spread. In 1876, Henry Wickham smuggled a large number of rubber seeds from Brazil to Kew Gardens, leading to plantations in India. She sees Rani Baug’s plant collection as a microcosm of empire, where monoculture s like rubber displaced local flora.
Become a Premium Member to access our exclusive contents: https://authindia.com/premium-community-membership/ Sayal-Bennett found that botanical illustrations often isolated plants to highlight their economic value. She noted that rubber seeds failed in India due to environmental resistance. At TARQ, she uses art deco to celebrate Mumbai’s heritage, seeing it as a symbol of independence and a move away from colonial influences.
In Morph, 2024, Sayal-Bennett reimagines Rani Baug’s 1868 arch in art deco, featuring a porcupine flower and nodding to the Company School style—a blend of Indian and European art from the East India Company era. This fusion of styles, on view at TARQ, Mumbai until September 21, captures a shift from colonial conventions.
