When artist Kalyani Pramod speaks about her work, there is a quiet optimism of not changing the world but making a difference. There is no call for dramatic protests; instead, she believes in the power of art to make people pause, observe, and introspect the world around them. “I don’t believe in protest marches alone,” she says. “Art is a great medium for creating awareness. It can tell people, subtly, that these are the areas of concern.”
Event Context
That philosophy is reflected in The Last Glimpse, her upcoming solo exhibition at Alliance Française of Madras, opening on July 18. The mixed-media textile exhibition brings together 73 artworks inspired by endangered species from across the world, each crafted using discarded materials such as textile scraps, metal wires, construction waste, newspaper and found objects. Through crochet, weaving, embroidery, punch needle, and sculptures, Kalyani transforms waste into portraits of birds and animals pushed towards extinction by human actions.
The Red Panda, a small mammal found in the forests of eastern Himalayas across India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, and China. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
For this Chennai-based fibre artist, environmental concerns have long been woven into her artistic practice. Her earlier exhibition, Bhoomi, also showcased immersive textile installations to confront the urgency of climate change. “When I was working on the climate change exhibit, I realised there were so many species getting endangered because of deforestation, forest fires, overfishing and habitat destruction,” she says. “Everything connected back to the human being.”
That realisation prompted years of research. Kalyani began with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List (a global database that assesses the conservation status and extinction risk of plant and animal species) , studying not just endangered animals but the specific threats each one faces. By the time she was done with The Last Glimpse, she says, the number of endangered species had nearly doubled. Species such as the ibis and blackbuck, once critically endangered, have shown signs of recovery through sustained conservation efforts. “In this exhibition I am trying to say that if we do act upon it, we can save some,” she says. In all her conversations, hope seems to be a constant.
The Great Indian Bustard is critically endangered due to a very small and rapidly declining population. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Hope, however, is balanced with stark reminders of human impact. One work on the great Indian bustard incorporates electrical wires to highlight the bird’s fatal collisions with overhead power lines. Another references the migratory bird the yellow-breasted bunting, whose population has plummeted because of hunting. Yet another piece evokes coral bleaching and the collapse of marine ecosystems. “People first get attracted by how beautiful the bird or animal is,” she explains. “That is when the concern starts.”
Although The Last Glimpse centres on wildlife, it also reflects her lifelong engagement with social causes. Early in her career, her work focused on handloom weavers, traditional craft communities and the exploitation of artisans by middlemen. As a textile designer, she worked closely with weaving clusters across Tamil Nadu, advocating for craftspeople long before environmental conservation became her primary focus. “Looking back, I was always talking about things that were happening around me at the time,” she says. Kalyani hopes that her textile practices keep fibre art alive in India through exhibitions like these, since it is often dismissed as craft rather than contemporary art.
“I feel there is no art without craft,” she adds. “And there is no craft without art.”
Through the exhibition, Kalyani aims to ask visitors to recognise that biodiversity loss is not someone else’s problem. As climate change intensifies, forests burn, and species disappear, she believes that conservation cannot remain an abstract idea. “We have to protect and preserve. It is for our own good.”
Match Outlook
The Last Glimpse will be on from July 18 to 31 at Alliance Française of Madras, Nungambakkam. Entry is free.
For more information on the events check out @afmadras on Instagram.
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Her choice of materials carry a message of its own. “My biggest source is the kabadiwala,” she laughs. “I’ve always told my students to look into their dustbin. A lot is waiting there. It also shows how much consumerism is working,” says Kalyani.
Delacour’s Langur, a critically endangered primate found only in Northen Vietnam. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
