Mrinalini Mukherjee Creative Arts Grant 2026

Vadiyo – Kuvadiyo takes an eco-philosophical course to explore various forms of depletion and violence that the Gir forest in Gujarat faces today, and seeks to critically engage with questions of memory that become central to these processes. The project emphasizes the need for dialogue with and between indigenous folk, local communities, farmers and government officials, as an vital aspect of research and fieldwork on sustainability.

The grant will support Mrugen’s proposal to develop a video work that probes into the short-term incentives and economically driven decisions that are adversely impacting the Gir's diverse ecosystem. The title itself is a satirical take on ideas of native and non-native and is an entry-point to a deeper introspection on two plants - the aggressively invasive Cassia Tora and native cash crop Mango - that have come to critically impact the biodiversity of the Gir Sanctuary

Mrugen’s proposal was selected by a jury consisting of artist Shilpa Gupta and Prof. YS Alone. 

They felt that his proposal brought out important narratives and forms of interrogation that often do not get shared in the mainstream when speaking about conservation and communities from such zones. They also found the proposed project to be well conceived both materially and conceptually, and felt that this grant can have a well intended impact on his practice at this time in his career.

Mrugen Rathod is a Baroda-based artist whose practice interrogates shifting relationships between land and communities around riverine and forest ecologies in Gujarat. Trained as a sculptor from Faculty of Fine Arts, MS University of Baroda, he has worked across mediums, including drawings, sculptures, installations, photography, and video for over two decades.

Since 2013 he has been traveling and working closely with various communities and organisations in sites such as the Sabarmati River and the Gir sanctuary, who are engaged with or impacted by questions of ecological degradation and conservation. Alongside his field research and documentation, Mrugen continues to have a studio-based art practice focused on sculpture, photography, paper and printmaking.

Mrugen has had solo shows at Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai (2023), nature art cube show at YATOO Geumgang Biennale, South Korea (2020) among others. His participation include “bitter nectar”, at Bikaner House, Delhi by T&T (2026), and Indigo Museum, Ahmedabad (2025). He has received grants such as SUSTAINA India (2025), and the GENERATOR Co-Operative Art Production Fund by Gallery Experimenter, Kolkata (2020). Mrugen has also been a visiting faculty at Department of Design and Visual Art, Anant National University (2019, 2025).