Amar Kanwar on Poetry, Politics, and the Multiplicity of Time

Amar Kanwar, a New Delhi-based artist known for films and multimedia installations exploring power, conflict, and social justice, discusses his creative process in an interview with ArtReview. His work addresses religious and sexual violence in India, the crushing of Myanmar's democracy movement, and corporate land grabs in Odisha. His best-known piece, The Sovereign Forest (2012), centers on the film The Scene of Crime (2011), which exposes collusion between government and corporations in Odisha. Kanwar has participated in four consecutive editions of Documenta (2002–2017) and served on the committee that selected ruangrupa for Documenta 15. His recent work, The Peacock's Graveyard (2023), a seven-channel film installation, is paired with The Torn First Pages (2004–08) at Palazzo Grassi in Venice under the title Co-Travellers, on view through January 10. Kanwar describes his practice as driven by a 'feeling of inadequacy' and a need to find multiple ways of comprehending complex realities. He often works with fragmented, multiscreen installations to convey simultaneous times and perspectives, as in The Torn First Pages, which references a Burmese bookseller who removed dictatorship-mandated statements from books. Kanwar also reflects on the state of the world, noting a rise in aggression and authoritarianism but also encountering courageous individuals. He sees biennials as flawed but valuable spaces for interaction.