“Muddy Grounds, Moving Waters” brings together artist Saba Khan and environmental historian Erica Mukherjee for an evening of conversation exploring water, mud, and infrastructure as sites of ecological and historical tension in South Asia.

In her talk, "More than a Machine," Khan traces Pakistan’s watery habitats from Himalayan glaciers to the tidal landscapes of Sindh, examining how colonial and post-independence interventions enclosed the Indus River for agriculture and hydropower. Through fieldwork, mixed-media installation, and collective expeditions, she foregrounds water as both material and cultural force—shaped by dams, sediment flows, myths, songs, and the lives of humans and nonhuman beings alike.

Mukherjee’s talk, "The Weight of Improvement," turns to nineteenth-century Bengal to examine how the British East India Company sought to “improve” muddy deltaic landscapes through infrastructure and law. Using archival sources, she unpacks improvement as an imperial ideal burdened by physical, administrative, and ideological weight—one that strained against the realities of fluid terrain.

Following their presentations, Khan and Mukherjee will engage in a moderated conversation and then an open discussion, highlighting the intersections of art, history, and environmental inquiry.

This event will be held in English.

A limited number of seats will be made available to the public. Please email shanghai.ica@nyu.edu with your name and contact information to request a reservation.
 

This event is co-hosted by the ICA at NYU Shanghai and the Shanghai-based self-organizing space suite. 

Saba Khan’s solo exhibition Eyes Were Rendered Useless in the Muddy Dark Waters will be on view at suite from January 17 through April 12, 2026.