Vikrant Bhise’s artistic practice iterates his commitment to the revolutionary spirit inherent in the Ambedkar consciousness, and struggles against caste-based domination and its vertiginous implications on land, liberty, and labour. The dynamic narratives demur to violation of social justice, hoping to inspire reform through activism while remembering episodes of fundamental struggles that include but are not limited to caste, class, and gender-based oppression.

“As someone deeply engaged with the Phule-Ambedkar movement, I’ve spent years living, working, and reflecting within spaces that have been shaped by Dalit resistance and assertion. Today, I find myself witnessing a quiet but urgent crisis—the neighbourhoods where this movement has lived and thrived are now facing redevelopment.

In my new body of work, I’ve focused on Siddharth Colony in Chembur—one of several Dalit strongholds in Mumbai. I’ve painted it in layered shades of blue, drawing from the symbolism of Ambedkarite thought. The royal blue here becomes more than color—it speaks of memory, dignity, and collective strength. It holds stories of celebration and struggle, and it stands quietly against the forces that seek to erase them.

Neighbourhoods like Matunga Labour Camp, BDD Chawls (Worli), Ramabai Nagar (Ghatkopar), Sion Koliwada, Kannamwar Nagar (Vikhroli), and Siddharth Colony (Chembur) have been living archives of Dalit political and cultural life. These were not just housing spaces but vital grounds for community-led education, Ambedkar Jayanti processions, study circles, theatre, music, and public readings. Namdeo Dhasal’s poetry was read and performed in these spaces—not in galleries, but in courtyards and lanes, charged with urgency and fire.

On paper, redevelopment promises better housing and infrastructure. In practice, it risks fracturing communities, replacing rich cultural ecosystems with vertical isolation. Shared lives, political conversations, and informal learning spaces may shrink into compartmentalised living units.

This moment raises difficult questions: What happens to a movement when its geography is disrupted? Where does cultural memory go when the walls it lived within are pulled down?

Yet, the future of Dalit activism is not easily silenced. The movement has always found ways to evolve. The future of the Dalit movement lies in how we adapt. Even as physical spaces transform, our ideas, memories, and resistance will take new forms—in art, speech, organising, and daily life.

The blue continues—not just as a color, but as a living force.” — Vikrant Bhise

Vikrant Bhise is an artist who lives and works in Mumbai, India. He is an alumnus of the L. S. Raheja School of Art (2010) and The Sir J. J. School of Art (2011), Mumbai. Select exhibitions include The 13th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art (Berlin, 2025); We Will See, Experimenter - Colaba (Mumbai, 2024); Human, curated by Katharina Domscheit-D’Souza, Jehangir Art Gallery (Mumbai, 2019) and Sense and Sensibilities: A Reflective Realisation, curated by Dr. Y.S. Alone, Anant Art Gallery (Noida, 2024). He is the recipient of a National Award by Lalit Kala Akademi for the series Impressions, in 2018.