The Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, and the contemporary art foundation TBA21 (Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary), Vienna, will present two important film installations by Amar Kanwar, The Sovereign Forest (2001-present) and The Lightning Testimonies (2007).

The Sovereign Forest, initiated in 2001, is an ongoing project comprising multiple galleries with films, books, photographs and documents, presented as an archive with the aim of exploring the social and environmental impact of mining in Odisha, a region in the east of India. The Lightning Testimonies is a multi-channel film installation that explores the complex and brutal recent histories of sexual violence and trauma in the Indian subcontinent via recollections endured by a wide range of local cultures and communities.

An inaugural conversation will take place on February 25 at 7pm, between the artist, Chus Martínez, curator of the exhibition and Baroness Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza, founder of TBA21, in an encounter presented by the museum’s artistic director Guillermo Solana.