“Bitter Nectar” at Bikaner House Uses Art to Explore Climate Change’s Everyday Impact

The third edition of the Sustaina India exhibition — titled “Bitter Nectar” — is currently on display at Bikaner House in New Delhi, presenting a creative and urgent look at how climate change is already affecting everyday life through food systems, seasonal cycles and ecological change.

Curated by artist duo Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra in partnership with the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), the show uses art installations, sculptures, sound and material experiments to map the impact of shifting climates — such as changes in crop cycles, altered tastes and food availability, labour realities, and ecological disruptions that shape local and traditional agricultural practices.

Rather than distant science, Bitter Nectar brings climate concerns into the intimate sphere of food and daily routines, inviting visitors to reflect on what is lost when taste, seasons and harvests change. Artists such as Anuja Dasgupta, Mrugen Rathod, Vedant Patil and others look at specific landscapes — from apricot cycles in Ladakh to mango ecologies in Gujarat — showing how climate pressures create practical and emotional consequences for communities.

The exhibition also combines sensory materials and recycled elements such as agricultural waste, wood, cloth and earth to deepen the experience, while public programmes like talks and workshops aim to engage audiences of all ages in discussions about sustainability, seasonal food habits and ecological interdependence.

“Sustaina India” runs as part of a larger artistic and environmental dialogue at Bikaner House, a cultural hub in the heart of the capital that regularly hosts exhibitions, performances and programmes connecting art with social issues.