Amar Kanwar on 'The Sovereign Forest': Land, Crime, and Poetry as Evidence
In the latest issue of Afterall Journal 49, Ute Meta Bauer and Anca Rujoiu engage in a conversation with artist Amar Kanwar about his long-term endeavor, 'The Sovereign Forest' (2012–ongoing). This project highlights land conflicts in Odisha, India, involving local populations, the Indian government, and corporations dating back to the 1990s. Kanwar began his research in the mid-1990s by gathering newspaper articles to trace corporate interests throughout India. He partnered with Sudhir Pattnaik/Samadrusti and Sherna Dastur to produce films, texts, photographs, and seeds, challenging the notion of poetry as legal documentation. Kanwar reflects on the 1991 murder of Shankar Guha Niyogi and the 8888 Uprising in Burma. The work has been exhibited at several locations, including dOCUMENTA (13) and NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, with aspirations for a permanent installation in rural Odisha.
Key facts
- The Sovereign Forest is a long-term project by Amar Kanwar focusing on land conflicts in Odisha, India.
- The project began in 2012 and is ongoing.
- Kanwar collaborated with Sudhir Pattnaik/Samadrusti and Sherna Dastur.
- The project includes films, texts, photographs, and seeds.
- It questions the validity of poetry as evidence in legal trials.
- The work has been shown at dOCUMENTA (13), TBA21, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, NTU CCA Singapore, Bildmuseet, and NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery.
- A version was displayed at Samadrusti campus in Bhubaneswar from 2012 to 2016.
- Kanwar discusses the assassination of Shankar Guha Niyogi in 1991.
- The project references the 8888 Uprising in Burma and student Ma Win Maw Oo.
- A permanent location in rural Odisha is being planned.
Entities
Artists
- Amar Kanwar
- Ute Meta Bauer
- Anca Rujoiu
- Sudhir Pattnaik
- Sherna Dastur
- Shankar Guha Niyogi
- Ma Win Maw Oo
- Ko Than Htay
- Dilip Varma
- Sameera Jain
Institutions
- Afterall
- Afterall Journal 49
- Samadrusti
- dOCUMENTA (13)
- Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary
- Yorkshire Sculpture Park
- NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore
- Bildmuseet
- NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery
- Centre Pompidou
- Public Press
- Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha
- POSCO
Locations
- Odisha
- Orissa
- East India
- India
- Gujarat
- Himalayas
- Eastern Ghats
- Bhubaneswar
- Kassel
- Vienna
- Singapore
- Umeå
- Abu Dhabi
- Myanmar
- Burma
- Chhattisgarh
- Madhya Pradesh
- New Zealand
- Parihaka
- Uttarakhand
- Nigeria
- Ugborodo
- Arutan
- Jagatsinghpur District
Sources
- Afterall —