Parvathi Nayar’s new exhibition, The Primordial, in Mumbai, traces oceans, pepper and climate change

At a time when climate conversations and ecological anxieties dominate the public discourse, Chennai-based artist Parvathi Nayar returns to Mumbai with her new exhibition titled The Primordial. This show at Muziris Contemporary features works that explore the ocean, depicting it not only as a physical space but also as a vital link to our past and future, highlighting its importance as a source of life.  

Opened on March 12, the exhibition marks the artist’s first solo show in Mumbai in nearly two decades. Known for her intricate graphite drawings and multidisciplinary practice spanning installation, photography, video, and climate change, her artistic journey has long engaged with the themes of ecology, climate change and the natural world. In this ongoing exhibition, these strands converge through a series of works centred on water, salt, and pepper — materials that carry natural and historic weight across centuries. 

Parvathi Nayar
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

“It revolves around the things we think of as primordial — the ocean, water, salt. In many ways, the show is centred around the idea of the ocean, which is something I’ve been working with for a while,” says Parvathi.

For the artist, the ocean is more than just a landscape. It is a connective force that has shaped the movement of ideas, people and commodities across millions of years. “The ocean does not actually keep us apart,” she explains. “It joins us together through our navigation of it. Trade and exploration have all happened over the ocean,” she further adds. 

Trading Places by Parvathi Nayar
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Alongside her new works, the exhibition will showcase the artist’s works from the past decade, including the Pepper Series, which was exhibited at the 2014 Kochi-Muziris Biennale. The idea of the sea as a conduit is central to the exhibition’s exploration of pepper, one of the most coveted commodities in the global spice trade. Parvathi references how the European traders, equipped with navigational instruments like the astrolabe developed by the Arab world, sailed to India in search of what was once known as the “black gold.”  

“One of the central works in this new show is called The Grain That Moves the World. I was thinking about how, in those times, the search for pepper led to extraordinary journeys — new discoveries were made, new lands were reached, and new people who had never encountered each other before suddenly came into contact,” says Parvathi. 

Climate change forms a persistent thread through the exhibition. Salt is another key element in the show. Historically known as the “white gold,” salt was once a highly prized commodity. In the artist’s work, it also refers to climate change. “It’s a triptych where salt crystals are magnified and become larger in every panel. On one level, you see this ballet of crystals, but if you think about it, you begin to ask: why are they growing? Why are things rising? It evokes the rise of sea levels and salinity as a byproduct of climate change,” says Parvathi. 

Much of the exhibition retains the artist’s signature graphite drawings. “The drawings are made of countless dots,” she explains. “In a way, the dot represents the smallest indivisible particle, like electrons or protons that form the physical world.” 

The exhibition also extends beyond paintings to visual storytelling. A short film called Pull will be showcased, which focuses on fishermen, drawing attention to those who live and work along the coastal landscapes. 

Through salt, pepper grains and vast graphite oceans, The Primordial reminds viewers that the ocean is not separate from human life but intimately connected to it. 

The exhibition is on at Muziris Contemporary, Colaba, Mumbai, till May 1, from 11am to 7pm (except Mondays). Entry Free.