From Soil to Muslin: Mapping Farmer’s Lives at the Students’ Biennale

KOCHI:

At the Arthshila venue of the Students’ Biennale 2025, a textile-based artwork quietly draws visitors closer. Titled Inheritance of the Hand, the work is a collaboration between artists Mohammad Riyaz and Aman Kumar, using painted and stitched muslin to speak about labour, memory and lived experience.

Mohammad Riyaz, who is from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, has completed his MFA (Master of Fine Arts) from the Government College of Fine Arts, Gwalior. His work is shaped by his rural upbringing and long engagement with the everyday struggles of Indian farmers.

“The central focus of my work is the Indian farmer,” Riyaz says, whose current exhibits are part of the Students’ Biennale.

Growing up in a farming environment, he witnessed repeated crop losses due to rain and fire, followed by long visits to government offices for compensation that often ended in disappointment. “These experiences stayed with me and became questions I wanted to work through,” he says.

In Inheritance of the Hand Riyaz uses tailoring techniques to stitch painted muslin, a material historically linked to India’s colonial past. The stitched sleeves shaped like hands form the main visual element of the work, pointing to labour, effort and endurance. Through layered fabric and reconstructed garments, it reflects the dignity and burden carried by rural communities.

The artwork was completed in Gwalior and took about a month to finish. Riyaz says the most difficult part was the technical process. “Handling the sewing machine and fixing the many sleeves was challenging,” he says. “But conceptually, it came from my own life, so that part felt clear.”

The collaboration includes Aman Kumar’s practice of weaving and painting on muslin. His work draws from memories and stories passed down by his grandmother, focusing on themes of generational loss. Together, the two artists bring different personal histories into a shared visual space.

Visitors at Arthshila have been spending time with the work, Riyaz says the response has been encouraging and that many viewers approach him with questions.

Speaking about his experience at the Students’ Biennale, Riyaz says the opportunity has been important for his practice. He also expressed gratitude to the Kochi Biennale Foundation and its curators for trusting his work and giving it space.

The Students’ Biennale, one of the Kochi Biennale Foundation’s key educational initiatives, offers a platform for young artists from public institutions in India to develop and showcase their works to a wider, global audience. The Students’ Biennale 2025-26 opened on 13 December 2025 is running parallel to the sixth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.

The programme is led by curators/collectives who will mentor students from over 150 institutions across seven regions of the nation. They engage with the students, shortlist the exhibition participants, and work closely with participating students to develop their projects for the exhibition in Kochi.