Food is a weapon. When you sell real weapons you control armies, when you control food you control society,

but when you control seed, you control life on earth. 

- Vandana Shiva

Studies for The Garden of Earthly Delights is an ongoing exploration of agrarian and garden spaces. These preliminary paintings of paddy fields and flowers are a glimpse into possible garden-like spaces, which would function as places to reflect on the relation between humans and genetically modified plants.

India remains one of the largest agrarian economies, and with the migration of people from rural areas to peri-urban or urban areas, there have been dramatic shifts in agricultural practices in the past few decades. The introduction of Bt and GMO seeds has significantly reduced the variety of seeds being used in farming, and this continues to pose a serious threat to biodiversity and economic welfare of farmers. 

Through this project I hope to explore ideas of consumption and production by looking at plants which have in some way been consciously and directly altered by human intervention. Inherent in the creation of such spaces are questions relating to accessibility, their monumental nature, and the politics of ownership and patronage.