Fluid Geographies

by Reena Kallat

As Lunuganga turns 75, the same as independent Sri Lanka, we find an environment that has formed as a response to ever-changing periods of prosperity and unrest, which are intertwined with the history of the country. Lunuganga is a garden that weaves itself into the post-colonial narrative of Sri Lanka, formed as a unique balance of natural and man-made intervention. By using the garden as a lens to consider multiplicities in the form of knowing, the garden provides a backdrop for celebrated Indian artist Reena Kallat to delve into her interests on social and political borders. Kallat’s personal experience of the Partition in India weighs heavily on her work, propelling her to explore the effects of political borders on human life and nature. Kallat investigates topics such as borders, citizenship, and archives, through the exploration of natural landforms to create a heavy emphasis on natural and man-made borders, while pondering on themes such as inequality, privilege, and policy.

Reena Kallat presents her work in the living room of the main house, a colonial bungalow reworked by Geoffrey Bawa and on Cinnamon Hill, the sprawling Southern garden of the estate, which is named in memory of the first plantation that existed on the garden.

Indoor works in the main house at Lunuganga