The Gram Art Project is a unique rural collective based in Paradsinga village, Madhya Pradesh, where art is not separate from life but deeply woven into the landscape and community practices. Founded by artist Shweta Bhattad and other local members, the project rejects conventional art detached from place, choosing instead to work with materials gathered from the land — like plant fibres boiled and pulped to make handmade paper — and to create works that speak to the environment and everyday lived experience.

Unlike formal studios, Gram Art Project operates as an organic, inclusive collective of farmers, foragers, women workers and creatives who see art as a living practice connected to indigenous knowledge, organic farming and land stewardship. Their activities range from performance art exploring personal and social narratives to exhibitions of seed-embedded paper that literally carries plants into new spaces.

The collective’s work also generates meaningful local impact: products like seed paper and seed bands support part-time livelihoods for hundreds of women across neighbouring villages, blending ecological function with cultural expression. Members engage in continuous dialogue, ensuring the art reflects real rural concerns — from agriculture to social experience — rather than being extractive or tokenistic.

In this way, Gram Art Project models how creativity, sustainability and community can intertwine, offering a grassroots blueprint for eco-conscious living that honours tradition while inspiring wider ecological awareness and collective resilience.