ISHITA CHAKRABORTY

Where The Wild Things Roam, Geranium

Acrylic on canvas pasted on cotton Saree fabric, 2026

A large geranium drawing, referencing archival scientific illustration and pasted on an Indian cotton Chapa sari fabric, rises in Szilassy Orchard. Chakraborty engages the geranium, associated with Swiss chalets, to reflect on layered migration histories. Introduced to Europe from southern Africa via 17th-century colonial trade, it became embedded in everyday life and a quasi-national symbol, poses questions of what makes something Native or Foreign.

Chakraborty’s artistic practice critically reflects on the complexities of migration shaped by colonial exploitations. At the heart of plant migration is the concept of commodification. This particular work Where The Wild Things Roam, Geranium examines the intricate interplay between nature, culture, and gender in a postcolonial context, focusing on women’s labour in plantations and agriculture in the Global South. An archival scientific cut-out of the Geranium plant painted on canvas and mounted on an Indian cotton saree fabric.

Botany, as a scientific discipline, was closely aligned with imperial ambitions. European botanists were often dispatched to catalogue and transport new species back to their home countries, where they would be cultivated for economic gain and also for beautification. The establishment of botanical gardens in Europe served not only as repositories of plant diversity but also as symbols of national pride and scientific advancement.

On the other hand, the use of textiles as a recurrent motif of Chakraborty serves as the backbone of scientific illustration, encapsulating the narratives of postcolonial female bodies who have historically contributed to plantation agriculture – a labour that has frequently been rendered invisible. Chapa prints are native to the Bengal region, Bihar, and Bangladesh. The term “Chapa” translates to “print.” It’s an inexpensive cotton fabric, bold in colour, used mainly by women in rural and semi-urban areas or at home in these regions. Through an ecofeminist lens, Chakraborty reflects how, for generations, inequality has had a significant impact on the climate emergency for racial communities.

Ishita Chakraborty (IND, b. 1989*) lives and works between Switzerland and India.