What began as a dream of building a life where practice and dwelling could coexist has materialised into something far more intricate: a living archive of ecological presence.
Kumar’s work confronts the accelerating imbalance between anthropocentric urban expansion of cityscapes and the quiet, coherent systems of nature in rural landscapes. He observes how the green palette subsides against the rigid geometry of perpetually construction-ridden cityscapes, where the architectural matrix replaces organic movement. In response, his practice stages a deliberate juxtaposition: blueprints of city maps and architectural renderings intersect with taxidermy, preserved plant matter, skeletal remains, insect wings and botanical studies. Nothing is too small, too fragile, or too overlooked to enter into his field of inquiry.
The studio itself feels like a dense ecosystem, an entanglement of stems, herbs, anatomical diagrams and preserved forms. Yet this is not emblematic of chaos. Through dissection and study, Deepak reveals nature’s geometric contingency: the internal logic that binds root to soil, wing to air, insect to flower. His large-scale drawings resemble scientific diagrams; his sculptures echo skeletal frameworks; his kinetic works respond subtly to natural rhythms. “This is not a structure,” he clarifies while gesturing toward one such piece. “It is an anatomy drawing.” What he renders is not representation, but relationship.
For over a decade, he has collected, preserved and carried these fragile remnants across cities. The act of maintenance, cleaning specimens every few months, navigating the difficulty of chemical preservation, is itself part of the work. Care is at the center of his craft.
A weed carries monumental consequences. He speaks of the Chinese Mullein, a single plant capable of producing hundreds of flowers, visited by dozens of insects in a day. “How important is the role of a small weed grass, then!” he asks. The question unsettles assumptions about value and hierarchy. If pollination depends on the overlooked, what does eradication truly cost?
His studio operates less as a conventional workspace and more as a meticulous laboratory-archive. Wings collected after a single evening of rain and artificial light, over 50,000 in number, become both specimen and warning. Year after year, he notes their diminishing scale, a quiet metric of atmospheric stress and ecological decline.
The process demands intimacy. “I have to build a relationship with this,” he says, referring not only to a plant or insect, but to the fragile continuum they represent. If a particular insect is drawn most strongly to a specific flower, he studies that attraction and composes from it.
Kumar’s long-term vision extends beyond the studio walls. He imagines one day establishing a small museum—an enduring repository for these collected lives and their stories. Not a monument to loss, but a living archive of care and shared responsibility.
Born in 1993 in Bihar, Deepak Kumar lives and works between Greater Noida and Delhi. His work has been exhibited across India, and he featured in an Outdoor Project titled Breathing Space, supported by Exhibit 320, at India Art Fair 2026.
