Red Rocks, Rivers, and Monkeys brings together Atul Bhalla (b. 1964, India) and Robert Zhao Renhui (b. 1983, Singapore), artists internationally recognized for their lens-based practices that respond to, reflect on, and critique human interventions in nature and ecosystems — and the layered histories of those relationships — while expanding what photography and video art can do in tracing and reimagining such encounters. In 2025, as part of the inaugural collaboration between Hampi Art Labs and The Institutum (a Singapore-based non-profit organization), both artists spent two months over the summer and monsoon seasons in and around Hampi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as invited residents at the Labs in Vidyanagar

Township. Together, by car and on foot, they explored the Tungabhadra Basin, visiting the township and various sites between it and Hampi, including the Tungabhadra River Dam and Kamalapur Lake. Immersed in a landscape defined by red rocks, deep green water, lush hills, sacred sites and ruins, surreal terrain, and wildlife — among them monkeys, bears, and birds — they were inspired to create new works, both moving and still. Rather than simply documenting these places, the artists turned their cameras toward natural microcosms, human interactions with the environment, and the region’s deeper histories in ways imperceptible to the unaided eye. The resulting works, making their world premiere in this exhibition, reveal each artist’s distinct focus while uncovering unexpected common ground.

A project in collaboration with The Institutum, chaired by Andreas Teoh
Artists: Atul Bhalla and Robert Zhao
Curator: Yasufumi Nakamor
Hampi Art Labs Director: Meera Curam
Hampi Art Labs Team: Dilip Rathod, Pooja Ranvir, and Anisha Jacquilin Toppo
Project Management: Siddhant Beriwal
Event Management: Severina Fernandes
Head Office Coordination: Urshila Mehta
Art Logistics: Amit Lodh
Exhibition Design: Reha Sodhi and Rajat Sodhi
Graphic Design: Tanya Shah