India, March 8 -- U ntil a decade ago, Himanshu Jamod's father was a labourer at Alang, one of the world's largest shipbreaking yards. He grew up watching behemoths broken down. "In a ship, everything is stripped down, from the furniture to the washing machines and iron sheets. Everything is sorted, segregated and either resold or reused in other industries," says Jamod, 31. Other members of his family too have found employment in this and allied fields. The artist was the first in his family to leave Bhavnagar. He studied art at MS University, Baroda. But the shipyard never left him. In a series of canvases displayed at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, he brings the surreal landscape of Alang alive. "The ship is a metaphor for the self. We search for ourselves all our lives, just like a ship searches for the beacon. In my canvases, I wanted to show views of these landscapes that most people never get to see," he says. In the two series on display, Retrieve (ongoing since 2016) and Seedbed (2025), we see sections and parts of decommissioned ships; as well as ships' internal architecture. The Alang shipyard, of course, is no longer the place Jamod grew up seeing. There is more automation now, and fewer jobs. "Jamod addresses the yard's complex economic contribution; however precarious, the industry provides a vital livelihood for locals. Alongside this daunting display, the work maps the global configurations of maritime resource management through the lens of recycled material cultures," says Madhurjya De, who is part of the biennale's curatorial team....