Bengaluru artist Namita Kulkarni exhibits Varthur Lake inspired paintings at UN

A Bengaluru-based self-taught artist, Namita Kulkarni, is currently showcasing her paintings at the United Nations headquarters in New York in an exhibition inspired by the 2019 Varthur Lake fire. The exhibition, titled "Colonialism and the Climate Crisis," is on display until July 10 and explores the deep connections between colonialism, climate justice, and human rights.

Kulkarni chose to present stories rooted in Bengaluru before an international audience to demonstrate that local environmental crises are inseparable from larger histories of exploitation. The inspiration for her paintings came while she was researching water issues in Bengaluru. She discovered that Varthur Lake had caught fire multiple times, describing the phenomenon of a burning lake as dystopian. Kulkarni felt the event was an unforgettable reminder of the environmental cost of unchecked urbanization that needed to be highlighted through art.

The exhibition features seven of Kulkarni's artworks. Through this series, she invites viewers to rethink the systems that have shaped the modern climate crisis. The collection encourages audiences to question long-held historical narratives about progress, humanity's relationship with the natural world, and how society has strayed from its role as custodians of the planet.

According to Kulkarni, the climate crisis is too frequently framed as a simple matter of carbon emissions that can be offset or compensated for, while the colonial dimensions of the crisis are completely overlooked. She pointed out that major global systems, including the economy, military, and healthcare, currently prioritize profit over life. Through her art, she hopes to challenge viewers to consider what the world would look like under a different paradigm where life, rather than profit, is at the center.

The exhibition at the United Nations headquarters serves as a global call for reflection, urging viewers to look beyond technological fixes and address the systemic inequalities driving environmental ruin.