On Drawing the Bombay Plague / Ranjit Kandalgaonkar

Over a century ago in 1896, the bubonic plague broke out in colonial Bombay. While the British officials maintained detailed records of the various aspects of the plague, local newspapers reported on the public sentiment towards the disease and its colonial management. Ranjit Kandalgaonkar explored one such archive to draw out a subaltern narrative of the bubonic plague.

Ranjit Kandalgaonkar lives and works in Mumbai and his art practice primarily comprises of a lens directed at the urban context of cities. Most of his long-term projects are research-intensive and attempt to unlock historical and contemporary data by placing the work in the context of an unseen social history. His works have been showcased at Bergen Assembly Art & research Triennale, Colomboscope Biennale, and several galleries in India and overseas.

Ranjit’s city-based practice: http://cityinflux.com