Smoke Rising from Fields to Canvas: Last Day for Kulpreet Singh at Hayward Gallery!

Flames rise in the fields of Punjab, India… Massive canvas cloths are dragged by hands right through the middle of fire and smoke; what remains behind are those pitch-black, indelible marks of soil, fire, and stubble ash. Reflecting both the deep-rooted agricultural heritage and the unique artistic language of Indian artist and farmer Kulpreet Singh, the exhibition “Indelible Black Marks” is experiencing its final hours at the HENI Project Space of London’s famous Hayward Gallery.

For the artist’s first institutional solo display in the United Kingdom, calendars point to Sunday, August 2, 2026—tomorrow!

Smoke Rising from Fields: How Does an Agricultural Ritual Transform into Art?

Patiala-born Kulpreet Singh is not merely an artist, but also a farmer who personally works the land. The practice of “stubble-burning” at the focus of the exhibition is a deep-rooted tradition maintained in the Punjab region for centuries. Burning the straw left in the field after harvest to prepare the soil for the next sowing is a highly controversial issue caught today between the climate crisis, state policies, and small farmers’ struggle for survival.

Rather than addressing this burning tension with a language of political accusation, Singh transforms it into a striking visual ritual. Canvases pulled out from within the flames and smoke transform into living records holding the suffering of the soil and the memory of fire.

Canvases Passing Through Fire and Unique Ash Paint

The “Indelible Black Marks” exhibition captures the viewer through two main channels:

• Film Installation: A fascinating video work hovering between documentary and ritual, where performers drag massive canvases across burning fields.

• Five-Panel Abstract Painting: A monumental work produced with the touch of flames and a special stubble ash paint. This paint is not an industrial manufacture; it is crafted personally by Singh from stubble ashes gathered with his own hands from his own field. Transferred onto the canvas, this material stands as both a concrete trace and an abstract symbol of the climate crisis and agricultural destruction.

London Leap of Indian Art: HG-KMB Award

Kulpreet Singh is the recipient of the prestigious HG-KMB Award presented jointly by Hayward Gallery and the world-renowned Kochi-Muziris Biennale. Building a strong bridge between the British and Indian art worlds, this award served as the occasion for Singh to open his first solo show at Hayward, one of London’s respected art institutions.

Realized within the scope of the RC Foundation Project Space Series (2025–27), the exhibition is curated by Hayward Gallery Senior Curator Rachel Thomas and Ananya Jain.

NO-26 Editor’s London Note & Visiting Guide

“Indelible Black Marks” is a deeply powerful work that speaks directly with the raw material of soil, ash, and fire rather than making symbolic statements. If you are around Southbank this weekend, tomorrow is your last chance to meet these black marks rising from the fields and witness Singh’s world!