The Anand Warehouse, a crumbling colonial-era godown, provides a suitable setting for Kulpreet Singh’s project Indelible Black Marks (2022–ongoing). Central to the space is his performative film, which deals with the predicament of the farming community in his home state of Punjab. In the short window of time available to them in winter, farmers prepare the fields for sowing by torching the crop stubble. This contributes to a toxic smog that hangs over the neighbouring states, including the capital Delhi, making it difficult for their inhabitants to breathe.

Singh’s visually-stunning eight-minute film depicts fields being set ablaze, turning them pitch black in the process. The artist along with his collaborators, comprising farmers and peers, are seen running across rows of torched farmland, dragging yards of canvas cloth behind them. In their white clothing they present a compelling contrast to their coal-black surroundings. The performers’ exertion as they race across the fields is palpable and mirrors the laborious life of the farming community. As the fire singes the trailing white fabric, it leaves its imprints on it. Some of these ash and soot-streaked canvases, created during Singh’s performances, were also on display.

As the son of a farmer, Singh’s chief preoccupation is the precarious condition of rural communities, their race against time and the paucity of resources. But he is equally aware that their struggle for survival comes at a cost to the environment. His project poses the larger question asking how can an equilibrium be reached between humans and their surroundings?