ArtReview interviews Amar Kanwar, a New Delhi-based artist known for films and multimedia installations that blend poetry, activism, and documentary to explore power, conflict, and social justice. Kanwar discusses his career trajectory from documentary filmmaking to occupational health research in a coal mining region, and back to filmmaking on his own terms. His best-known work, *The Sovereign Forest* (2012), addresses government-corporate collusion in Odisha, while his latest, *The Peacock's Graveyard* (2023), is a seven-channel film installation currently paired with *The Torn First Pages* (2004–08) at Palazzo Grassi in Venice under the heading "Co-Travellers." Kanwar has participated in four consecutive editions of Documenta (2002–2017) and was a curator of the 2022 Istanbul Biennial.
The interview matters because Kanwar is a highly influential figure in amplifying South and Southeast Asian perspectives in contemporary art, particularly through his indirect, open-ended approach to urgent issues like religious and sexual violence, ecological destruction, and political repression. His work challenges conventional documentary forms and offers a model for art that is both politically engaged and poetically elusive, resonating with global audiences at major institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, and the Sharjah Biennial. The conversation provides insight into his creative process and the ethical commitments that drive his practice.