Mo Ganji: Great Indian Bustard | Indische Großtrappe | Ardeotis nigriceps | No. 090/250 from work group 8/99

Great Indian Bustard | Indische Großtrappe | Ardeotis nigriceps

Mo Ganji’s single line engages the Great Indian bustard — a large, ground-dwelling bird of open grasslands with a tall stance and measured presence — through a gesture of reduction that favors essence over depiction. The continuous line offers a spare contour, enough to suggest a living being while remaining open to readings beyond the category of “bird.” By letting detail fall away, the drawing allows presence to emerge before function or symbolism takes hold.

Ardeotis nigriceps is listed as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. Endemic to the Indian subcontinent, the species once ranged widely across grasslands and semi-arid plains. Today, fewer than a few hundred individuals are believed to survive, largely confined to fragmented habitats in western India.

The principal threats include extensive loss and degradation of grassland habitats, agricultural expansion, infrastructure development, and fatal collisions with overhead power lines. Low reproductive rates and ground-nesting behavior further heighten vulnerability. Despite targeted conservation efforts, the species’ recovery remains extremely fragile.

Ganji’s single line opens a space in which the bustard can be encountered beyond rarity or emblematic status. It invites attention to a presence shaped by openness and continuity, quietly reminding us that landscapes we deem empty or expendable are often the most finely balanced — and that our tendency to stand apart from nature blinds us to the lives sustained by the ground we continuously divide and claim.