This art exhibition in Hyderabad examines knowledge in all its forms and contexts

Exploring the omnipresence of knowledge and the way communities remember and regenerate information through everyday practices, Learning from the Ground brings together the work of four artists with varied practices. Rather than examining knowledge as a static entity, it is viewed as something lived, embodied, and renewed, while considering cultural and geographical contexts.

From waste plastic to wild grasses, four artists map living knowledge systems, climate anxieties and disappearing traditions in an immersive exhibition

Artist Dipankar Panging’s work is a journey of returning to his roots. With a practice grounded in weaving traditions, the Assam native works across textiles, installation and material transformation. “At the heart of this work is my engagement with community, traditional craft, material and the environment. I am particularly interested in exploring how traditional weaving, patterns and processes can be reimagined through contemporary materials and in response to the realities of the present,” he explains.

Dipankar Panging’s workSpeaking about his work in the showcase, Dipankar explains the materials he uses in his practice. “I have been working with waste plastic, bamboo and weaving-based processes. Using a material that is usually discarded into a slow, handmade process is important to me. It allows me to create a dialogue between waste and craft, mass production and handmade labour, and contemporary environmental concerns and inherited knowledge. My relationship with material has developed gradually,” he states.

Returning to his village after completing his Masters degree proved to be a pivotal moment in his artistic journey. “Being back in my own community allowed me to look at familiar things differently. I began to reconnect with traditional practices, local materials and forms of knowledge that had been passed down through generations,” he states.

With increased awareness of how mass production and consumer culture have drastically changed lifestyles and inadvertently caused large-scale waste and environmental concerns, alongside the disappearance of traditional crafts and locally rooted practices, Dipankar adds, “How can craft be revived without simply reproducing its past form? How can inherited knowledge be connected to new materials, new contexts and the realities of the present? It is not simply about waste plastic or the revival of craft. It brings material, memory, community, ecology and inherited knowledge together and explores what new possibilities can emerge from that encounter.”

For artist Saroj Kumar Badatya, fieldwork across Bihar, Odisha, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh and extensive research, have shaped his exploration of grass. Overlooked despite its vitality in agricultural systems, the artist works closely with farming communities, viewing grass through the lens of cultural memory. Observing seasonal cycles and changing landscapes, his work becomes an environmental archive of ecological loss and resilience.

His recent work is a deeper exploration of abandoned sites and the discovery of grasses that have a deep connection with indigenous knowledge, agricultural practices, climate, and history. “These grasses can be palatable, poisonous, or medicinal. In my explorations, I have encountered poisonous grasses, such as Parthenium hysterophorus, in regions like Odisha, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Ladakh,” Saroj explains. “This fieldwork not only informs my artistic creations but also allows me to document the lives of farmers and the pressing impacts of climate change on these communities,” he says.

Using printmaking as his primary medium with pigments from soil, stone and plant matter, his work combines botanical impressions and collected narratives to create immersive installations of his observations.

“By printing images of grasses and their accompanying stories, I aim to create immersive spaces where viewers can reflect on the environment and the importance of sustainable agriculture,” Saroj adds.

Entry free. On till Oct 10. 11 am to 7 pm. Dhi Contemporary, Madhapur.