Art of the Protest: A Selection of Paintings, Sculpture, Photographs, Graphics and Songs inspired by the Kisan Mazdoor Andolan

Abstract

India’s farmers and farm workers have been protesting against the three new Farm Laws1 since they were passed through an ordinance by the Indian parliament in September 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. They continue to sit in protest at the borders of Delhi even today. Art, along with dominant modes of resistance, has been an important avenue of protest in the Kisan Mazdoor Andolan. The photographs of the Tikri border protest camps posted on social media by Himanshu Dua, were the first to catch my attention. Thereafter, I started to take note of the many paintings, sculptures, graphic art, photographs, films and scores of songs and poems, inspired by the protests. Just as this protest is an ongoing campaign, so is the art, which continues to be created. While some of these works are created to inspire and motivate the protesters, others are important ways to document and memorialize the protest itself. They also enable us to understand the deeper human sentiments and emotions fueling the Kisan Mazdoor Andolan (farmer and farm labor resistance). In this essay, I have put together a selection of artwork, which resonated with me. These selected works cover a range of artistic expression directly inspired by the protests.