‘Blue Futures: Reimagining Indigo’ is a voyage into the root of a hue that has shaped global culture, trade, and art. Launched at the newly opened Hampi Art Labs (HAL) near the majestic UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hampi in Karnataka, this exhibition reclaims indigo’s ancient Indian heritage while channelizing it through sustainable design. Conceptualised by the JSW Foundation and inaugurated on November 2, 2025, by its Chairperson, Sangita Jindal, the exhibition marks the centre’s first in-house curatorial project. It brings together artists, dye masters, and designers from global scales to one platform. The main aim is to explore indigo as a living and evolving story, to acknowledge it as the pigment born on Indian soil and then went on to become a universal symbol of creativity. The exhibition goes beyond simple display, creating an environment that connects the deep blue pigment to ancient trade routes, ethical labour, and artistic innovation across continents.
Why Indigo?
Throughout the course of history, Indigo has always been more than a pigment. In the niche of textile traditions in South Asia (and parts of Africa and Japan) it has cultural, ritual and economic significance. In the colonial period, indigo plantations were always a source of conflict and coercion, Bengal is the most prominent example. Interestingly, one of the most widely consumed ingredients in Bengal i.e., Posto or the poppy seeds were the by-products of cultivating Indigo. Therefore, this exhibition invites the viewers to reconsider indigo as a “living medium” that once wrapped the strings of the colonial empire around it. In the context of Hampi, the “blue” represents the ancient fabric of empire, the textile towns, and de-colonised modes of production. The event also brings craft, industry and art as one subject. Overall, the suggested narrative is a stupendous study of how a natural dye can become one of the most potent catalysts of socio-economic history while continuing its dominance in the domains of art and fashion.
The Immersive Installations and Featured Artists
The Indigo Pavilion is intuitively positioned at the heart of the exhibition. It is an immersive installation where indigo-dyed fabrics are carefully arranged and placed in deep blue light, creating an essence reminiscent of the depth of water. This centerpiece truly does not fail to offer a multi-sensory experience to the spectators. Another intriguing factor of this event has to be the Indigo Alchemy Lab. It is basically an interaction section designed to feed in information regarding the lives of Indigo planters, and many more. People will get to witness the fascinating process of oxidation of the pigment. Through digital illustrations, people will also be able to trace the apt map through which the Indian hue metaphorphosized into the “blue gold” that tottered many pockets of the globe.
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The list of artists presenting their works is also very fulfilling. Aboubakar Fofana, one of the presenters, is a celebrated indigo dye master based in Paris and Mali, and contributes work rooted in organic processes, advocating natural dyeing. From India, Mumbai-based sculptor Manish Nai is featured, and he is known for transforming urban waste into compressed forms of art. Alongside, there is Alwar Balasubramaniam, known for his experimental works, which explore perception and material transformation. The Japanese collective Studio Buaisou also made it to the list and shows the revival of traditional indigo farming techniques. The convergence of these divergent practices breeds a fine sense of inclusivity in the field.
Exhibition Details
| Event | Details |
|---|---|
| Venue | Hampi Art Labs (HAL), Vijayanagara district, Karnataka (near UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hampi) |
| Concept & Organiser | Reimagining the legacy of indigo as colour and cultural memory; an initiative of the JSW Foundation. |
| Curator | Meera Curam, Residency Director at Hampi Art Labs. |
| Duration | Opened November 2, 2025; scheduled to run until early 2026. |
| Key Thematic Focus | Indigo’s evolution across India, West Africa, and Japan; sustainability, creativity, and global dialogue. |
Key Highlights
- It offers an immersive space where indigo is experienced as identity and material.
- “Tracing Blue” residency runs concurrently (Oct–Dec 2025), inviting practitioners working with indigo and material innovation.
- The show brings together textile traditions, sculpture, installation and conceptual art practices under the theme of indigo.
- With Hampi’s layered history, from the Vijayanagara empire to colonial era and industrial present, the exhibition foregrounds the idea of “legacy” in a rich terrain.
- Indigo as material future prompts reflection on extraction, ecology and craft’s future in the Global South.
A Deeper Context
The traditions of indigo are deeply rooted in communities, ecologies and histories.With the arrangement of such a critical exhibition, a natural risk entails; the risk is to aestheticization or exoticization of the pigment without engaging meaningfully with the environment, and the socio-economic nuances. However, it aims to re-trace the cultural linkages across the Global South, creating an inclusive environment where artists can engage with the region’s craft culture while producing world-class art. By hosting an exhibition of this quality, HAL establishes its agenda to be a platform which brings about a change and connects historical legacy with international art.
