Artist Paribartana Mohanty's solo exhibition "I Rescued Speed Altogether" at Delhi's Shrine Empire gallery presents 12 paintings and three moving-image works created over eight years of documenting the demolition of the Kathputli art colony, a historic slum cluster in west Delhi known for its street performers. The works, mounted on found objects like glue cans and plastic, focus on the objects and landscapes left behind after demolitions, with human figures absent from the canvases. Mohanty's title comes from his three-year-old son's triumphant statement after learning to pedal a bicycle, which the artist sees as an absurd phrase fitting for what he calls the "absurd acts" of demolition.
This exhibition matters because it addresses the controversial issue of forced evictions and demolitions targeting marginalized communities in India under the guise of "redevelopment," a practice that has drawn criticism from human rights groups as "bulldozer injustice." By creating a "counter-visual archive" that slows down time to bear witness to erased spaces, Mohanty challenges the public's tendency to forget displaced communities. The show also demonstrates that galleries can successfully present politically charged, potentially unsaleable subjects, with Shrine Empire reporting that Mohanty's works have been acquired by institutions and collectors.