Akshay Raj Singh Rathore (b. 1978) lives and works between India and France. He is an artist and researcher whose practice is deeply rooted in the farming crisis in India and the intersections of rural politics and global capitalism. His work engages with natural and readymade materials, including leaf extracts and terracotta tiles, to challenge contemporary notions of nature, agriculture, and sustainability.

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He studied Applied Arts at Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda (1997-2001), and Animation Film Design at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad (2001-2004). In 2012, he founded the Aulinjaa Research Laboratory, an initiative aimed at activating a permaculture farm in his native village and fostering knowledge exchange on agricultural practices and ancient know-how, involving local villagers and ecosystems.

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Akshay has been awarded the Khoj Negotiating Routes Grant and participated in the Khoj Gaming Residency in New Delhi. He has also undertaken international residencies, including the Pro Helvetia IAAB Studio Residency in Basel, Switzerland, and the OrganHaus Residency in Chongqing, China. His work, informed by plant pigment studies he began during an artist residency in El Salvador, reflects on the commodification of plant life and the impact of global capitalism on rural agronomy and migration.