Apnavi Makanji was born in Mumbai (1976) and grew up in Geneva. Their practice lies at the intersection of decolonization and queer ecology, that places an understanding of ecosystems outside of institutional didactic approaches, with a clear focus on marginalized species. Their primary media are drawing, collage, installation and video.
They have been awarded the The Prix Fondation Édouard et Maurice Sandoz 2024 for their project titled K(NOT)WEED.
Makanji’s most recent solo show titled Modern Romance and Other Deaths was presented at TARQ, Mumbai in 2024. Their other solo exhibitions include PSYCHOPOMP, TARQ, Mumbai, 2023; Soil as Witness | Memory as Wound, TARQ, Mumbai, 2019; Travails of the Wandering MemorySeed, Galerie Félix Frachon, Brussels, 2016; and Domus Vulgus, The Guild NY, New York, 2010.
In 2021 they participated in a two-month residency at the Botanical Garden of Geneva. They took part in the Dhaka Art Summit (February 2020) as well as several group shows including Archive Dread, curated by ghalas charara and rita elhajj for Fonds Municipal d’Art Contemporain, Geneva (2026), CREA: Reconference, Kathmandu (2025); Humanilia, curated by Rolando Bassetti,Centre d’Art Contemporain d’Yverdon, Yverdon-Les-Bains (2025); The Artist As, curated by Vaidehi Gohil and Sonakshi Bhandari, TARQ, Mumbai (2025); Lovesongs for Plants: An Arcane Evolution, Espace Labo, Geneva (2024); Claustrophobia Alpina, Forde, Geneva (2022); Nature You Are, Theatre Benno Besson in collaboration with Centre d’Art Contemporain Yverdon, Yverdon-Les-Bains (2022); Heat, Le Labo, Geneva (2022); (ME)MORY, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi (2021); Remembering the Present, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi (2018); Carnets, Halle Nord, Geneva (2017); Raving Disco Dolly on a Rock ‘n’ Roll Trolley, Envoy Enterprises, New York (2014); Considering Collage, Jhaveri
Contemporary, Mumbai (2013).
Makanji lives and works in Geneva.