Art meets science at Khoj Studios: How history and bias shape pest narratives
A pest is traditionally defined as an organism harmful to humans or human interests. The term also applies to humans perceived as annoying or difficult. But who decides what constitutes a pest? What power dynamics shape these definitions?
The ‘Pest Politics’ exhibition at Khoj Studios in Delhi explores how power determines which lives are tolerated and which are eradicated. It examines themes of preservation and control, looking at seed banks, invasive species, and monoculture plantations. Featuring six artists—Abhinav Suresh, Asim Waqif, Dornith Doherty, Koumudi Malladi, Pratyay Raha, and Sonali Kanavi—the exhibition presents works through video, sound, and research.
Curator Gayatri Manu, programme manager at Science Gallery Bengaluru, challenges the idea of a “pest.” She explains, “A species becomes a pest because we don’t want it around, often for economic reasons. Locusts threaten crops, mice spread disease—these classifications reflect human priorities.” The exhibition highlights how human management of ecosystems is based on self-interest. Manu asks, “If a butterfly drank blood, would it be seen as a marvel or a menace? A mosquito is reviled for feeding on us, while a butterfly is admired for its beauty. Even within the insect world, privilege exists.”
Manu was drawn to Khoj’s experimental space, known for fostering alternative artistic production. “It made sense to merge art and science to bring this exhibition together,” she says.
Seed Bombing and colonisation
Asim Waqif’s ‘Seed Bombing 2’ invites visitors to participate in ecological reclamation. Inspired by his 2014 project, the installation encourages visitors to throw “seed bombs” made of soil, fertiliser, and seeds at an abandoned building opposite Khoj. “His work subverts militarised ecological language—terms like invasion, surveillance, and control—by replacing destruction with renewal,” says Manu.
The exhibition also explores colonial pest control, including the European wine industry’s battle with Phylloxera, an insect introduced through transatlantic trade. Dornith Doherty’s ‘Phylloxera’ visualises this history using electron microscope scans of infected grapevine roots, tinted in sepia and printed on metal. The crisis nearly collapsed European winemaking, yet its solution—grafting European vines onto American rootstocks—came from the same global exchanges that caused the problem.
Manu cites the colonial introduction of eucalyptus in the Nilgiris, which drained local vegetation in the Western Ghats. “Tea plantations are a colonial legacy, and eucalyptus was grown alongside them because it provided timber for tea-processing factories. Colonisation has directly shaped ecosystems,” she says.
Are insects the only pests?
Koumudi Malladi’s ‘Autobiography of an Ecosystem’ examines shifting definitions of pests in Wayanad, Kerala. Through embroidery and audio narratives, she highlights how in protected forests, humans become intruders, while in farmland, elephants are deemed pests. This underscores how pest classifications depend on context.
‘Echoes of Extraction’ by Abhinav Suresh and Pratyay Raha explores sonic voids in Tamil Nadu’s Valparai tea plantations. Using spectrograms, they reveal how pesticide use has rendered monoculture landscapes sonically dead despite their lush and pristine appearance. Similarly, Sonali Kanavi’s ‘Plucked from the Fringe’ reclaims edible plants dismissed as weeds, presenting them as viable food sources from North Karnataka’s semi-arid regions.
Manu explains that, while grounded in evidence, scientific classifications are shaped by context and evolving understanding.
“We assume scientific consensus is universal, but it can vary based on landscape and ecological interactions.” Ultimately, ‘Pest Politics’ challenges rigid binaries of pest and non-pest, urging viewers to reconsider how human judgement shapes ecological narratives.
The exhibition reminds us that species labelled as nuisances may be essential to environmental balance.
‘Pest Politics’ is on view at Khoj Studios, Khirki Extension, till March 29