Delhi’s air pollution crisis is impossible to ignore—measured, debated, and monitored in real time. The city’s water pollution, particularly the Yamuna, also demands similar attention whenever white, toxic foam floats into view. Yet, far less visible and rarely discussed is the crisis beneath Delhi’s feet: the contaminated soil feeding its farms and, in turn, its people."
Putting a spotlight on this is multidisciplinary artist Sidhant Kumar’s ‘Studies from a Quiet Harvest’, currently on view at the India Art Fair.
On entering the exhibit, a large LED display laid out on the floor draws the eye. Names of metals—cadmium, iron, copper—scroll across the screen, mirrored by the raw topsoil placed beside it, underscoring the contamination embedded in the land
Here, Kumar foregrounds the realities of Ranhola, a peri-urban locality in West Delhi.
Its fields, the exhibition note explains, are lined with fast-growing crops such as spinach and brinjal to meet the demands of Delhi’s expanding population. Running alongside them is the Najafgarh drain, carrying sewage and industrial effluents from nearby unauthorised factories, the only source of water for cultivation. Notably, the drain is also a primary contributor to the Yamuna’s pollution.
As a result, the soil and its produce remain contaminated, particularly with heavy metals, posing serious health risks to both farmers and consumers, the note adds.
“Whenever we see a lush green field, we think everything is alright. But when I went closer to the land, I saw the violence behind it,” Kumar says.
Alongside the exploitation of the land, the artist also draws attention to the exploitation of farmers, most of them migrants from Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh, who till land leased from owners.
“They work under what is known as the Bataiya system, where migrant farmers cultivate leased land. Three-fourths of the produce goes to the owner, and only a quarter to the farmer,” explains Kumar, who hails from Siwan in Bihar.
Working on such thin margins, he adds, the farmers receive little in return and are often forced to source water on their own. Drawing water from the Najafgarh drain, Kumar emphasises, is not a question of right or wrong, but one of survival. “It’s an intersection between ethics and survival,” he says.
These concerns are woven into the installation through a range of elements. A large wooden plough hangs on the wall, bearing an LED display that reads, “Mujhe khet ka swaad pata hai” (I know the taste of the field). The work gestures towards mechanised farming, which has increased yields but also accelerated land degradation.
The installation also includes photographs of the farmers, a short film that traces structures of exploitation, and a display resembling a research paper that documents the contamination of the soil.
An answer in green
While Kumar’s exhibit puts a spotlight on a problem, this one offers a solution.
Created by Sri Lanka–based artist Raki Nikahetiya and supported by Max Estates, Forest II is a Miyawaki-method pocket forest comprising over 20 species of plants and trees native to Delhi and the Aravalli region.
The Miyawaki method, a Japanese afforestation technique, relies on dense planting of native species to create fast-growing, self-sustaining forests, driven by competition for sunlight.
Built using discarded materials, the structure holds around 200 native saplings, forming what appears to be a walled grove.
Visitors walk along a winding pathway through the trees, accompanied by an audio layer of birds, bees, and rustling leaves native to Delhi.
“One plant alone doesn’t make a difference; it’s about the forest. Forests create that negative carbon footprint,” says Ankit Khurana, who is part of the project.
Large development projects, he adds, are often marked by tree razing and what he calls “green erasure.” Afforestation techniques, including the Miyawaki method, offer one way of bringing green back into the conversation.
Forest II is a site-specific installation and will eventually be relocated to a Max Estate site.