Of Rani Baug and stolen rubber seeds | Amba Sayal-Bennett first India solo, Dispersive Acts, at TARQ

When Victoria Gardens was constructed as a botanical garden in the 1860s, in then Bombay, it was a significant colonial project. A microcosm of the empire Rani Baug, Sayal-Bennett says, has architectural elements that connect it to Kew Gardens in London, and “the Palmer space has historical links to the India Rubber Company”. In New York, she explores “the movement of stolen rubber seeds” from South America to India, via Kew Gardens. “In these drawings, plants were often shown in isolation from any wider habitat on a blank background, encouraging the European scientific community to observe them for potential economic exploitation rather than as part of a symbiotic ecosystem,” she says, adding, “The rubber seeds taken from South America to India did not take root. “There’s always a simultaneous condition of connection and estrangement that is distinctly inherent to a diasporic experience.” Art Deco and resistance At TARQ, art deco-style elements find a place across several of Sayal-Bennett’s works.